The Blessed Child
by warchiefzeke05
Summary: A tale of a ruthless Death Eater and his Gryffindor daughter. (Next-Gen, AU- Voldemort has won)
1. Hogwarts Express

1st September 2017, POV: Nordi Exile

The same as every year, September the first was the busiest day for the platform 9 and 3/4 at Kings Cross Train Station.

Thousands of Wizards and Witches - Hogwarts students and their families - crowded the Platform, pushing large trunks on trolleys, yelling to each other to make their voices through the noise, and making commotion.

The crowd was so thick, that nobodyhad even paid attention to three high-ranked Death Eaters from the Inner Circle, ones of the most important individuals in the Wizarding Britain, making their way through the Platform. The three prominent individuals accompanied their children, who were about to start their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Nordi had to admit to Draco, that he had found himself on the Kings Cross station for the first time in his life. Well, not surprisingly, his blonde friend mocked him mercilessly after that confession- being on the famous Platform 9 and 3/4 for the first time at thirty-two years of age, was indeed something to be made fun of.

'Give it a rest, Draco. I've just never used Hogwarts Express as a mean to travel to school. I've always thought that spending ten hours on the journey was a ridiculous waste of time.'

'No wonder you've always lacked social skills. Travelling to school by train is an important part of growing up. He who had never ridden Hogwarts Express, never had a real childhood.'

Nordi became slightly irritated.

'You know, Draco, back then, I couldn't have cared less about Hogwarts. I had some more important issues going on, like for instance...hmm, I don't know... the War?'

Bella overtook the two men and looked at them annoyed.

'Nordi-boy, Draco-boy, I don't know if you are aware, but the three of us is rather a distinguish bunch. Arguing on a train station, you are not exactly setting a good example to all those Wizards and Witches. Not to mention our children.' she said in an innocent voice.

'Let's just agree that our children are lucky not to be growing up in the war time. Let them take a full advantage of their time at school, involving the Hogwarts Express ride.' Draco said quickly.

Nordi nodded and looked back at the children, who walked several feet behind the grown-ups, pushing their trunks in front of them.

Nordi frowned, looking at his eleven-years-old daughter. Sanctimonia pushed her trolley with her head down, eyes turned towards the ground. Unlike most of the first-year students, who eyed the platform in admiration, she seemed to be uninterested in the surroundings at all.

Sanctimonia had her mother's hair- silky and light-blond, her mother's fragile frame, and her mother's graceful, soft moves. From Nordi's side, she inherited bright, silver eyes and high cheekbones.

Two other kids walking by Sanctimonia's side, behaved much more... well, like kids. Scorpious Malfoy and Delphini Black were engaged in a lively conversation, pointing their hands to show each other anything they found interesting on the way.

Delphini had Bella's soft, heart-shaped face and full lips, but her amazing crimson eyes, smooth moves and heavy, fully-developed Dark Aura clearly indicated her Father.

Scorpious was much like Draco; light-blonde hair, aristocratic facial features and skinny frame made him impossible to mistake with any other family than the Malfoys.

'Sanctimonia, please, hurry up, otherwise you'll miss the train.' Nordi said to his daughter. Her answer was preluded by an angry look of her bright eyes.

'Father, I have asked you many times to use a short form of my given name.' she snarled.

Nordi frowned.

'Alright, Sanny, but keep in mind that it's a childish nickname. You are going to Hogwarts; don't you think it is the high time to start acting more mature?'

The girl gasped in anger and narrowed her eyes at Nordi.

'You can call me however else you want, or not speak to me at all. Just do not use the name "Sanctimonia"!'

Nordi sighed. He came up with his daughter's first name himself. Sanctimonia, Purity, was the most beautiful name he could think of. It was the first part of Malfoys' family motto- "Sanctimonia Vincent Semper"- Purity Will Always Conquer. In this context Sanctimonia could be translated as Blood Purity. Nordi, Luna and Bella loved that name, however- the girl seemed to hate it from the moment she was old enough to comprehend.

Not only the first name was an issue. Sanctimonia, growing up, became more and more unbearable. Nordi was relieved that from now on, at Hogwarts, Luna will be in charge of their daughter. Nordi's wife was more likely to understand mood sways of a pre-teenage girl.

Bella turned her head towards the blonde-haired girl.

'Sanny, I think your first name is just fabulous. It's noble, it sounds nice, and it has a beautiful meaning.' she said.

Sanctimonia rolled her eyes.

'I am aware of that name's meaning, Godmother Bellatrix, just as I am aware that people like you and my Father find it beautiful. However, forgive me - I don't.'

Nordi narrowed his eyes. He knew his daughter was never really fond of Bella for some reason, but he couldn't allow her to be rude and disrespectful, especially in public.

'Sanctimonia Bellatrix Exile.' he said harshly. 'You will apologize to your Godmother. Now.'

Sanny rolled her eyes again.

'I'm sorry, Godmother Bellatrix.' she muttered.

Bella smiled to Nordi.

'Don't make a fuss, Nordi-boy. It will be her first time away from home; she is clearly nervous.'

'I wonder how your daughter and Draco's son can behave decently, being in an exactly the same position.' Nordi muttered.

They reached the long, red, steam engine train. Scorpious and Delphi stopped by the door to say their goodbyes. Having bidden farewell to his father and Aunt, Scorpious lifted his hand towards Nordi to give him a high-five.

'Smash that term, Scorpio!' Nordi said, winking to the boy. 'Show all those wimpy kids who is the best.'

'You bet it, Uncle Nordi!' the boy answered eagerly.

'Oi, watch out, Exile!' Draco snarled. 'I don't want my son to get into trouble just the first day of school... just like you did!'

'Chill out, Draco. Your son knows what to do. He is nearly as skilled and definitely not as reckless as I was back then.' Nordi answered, amused.

Then, Delphi approached him, smiling, and opened her arms to be hugged.

'Delphi, I bet you will make your Father and Mother proud !' he said sincerely. That was a fact - Hogwarts was going to have an extraordinary prodigy that year, and her name was Delphini Black.

Delphi answered him in Parseltongue. A series of soft hisses; she was aware that her Godfather loved when she spoke to him this way. Nordi was able to understand the language, having studied Parsel- and Naga Runes, however, he was obviously unable to speak. He answered his goddaughter in English.

'Sure, I'll be really happy if you owl me once in a while. And yes, It would be cool if you keep our correspondence in Parsel Runes. I'd love to have some practice.'

'~_I promise to write to you often, Godfather.~' _She smiled, answering in Parseltongue, and stepped aside making a place for Sanctimonia.

Sanny was looking at the other girl with disgust; she hated Parseltongue. When she still was a young child, Nordi caught her once on calling Delphi a "freak" for using the language. Back then, Nordi and Luna grounded their daughter for a month.

'Hey, Sanny, will you hug your old man before departing?' Nordi asked his daughter, knowing the answer already.

'No.'

'So maybe high-five? Or a handshake?' he asked.

'I'm good.'

'Do you want me to owl you once in a while?'

'Father.' the girl said impatiently. 'You were the one who told me to hurry up. Please step aside and let me enter the train.'

Nordi stepped aside, disappointed.

He let Draco help the three children to levitate their luggage inside. He stood with Bella on the platform, looking at the train's windows.

'I'm worried about her.' Nordi muttered to his best friend.

'It's a phase. She's an eleven-yeasr-old girl. She will grow out of it. Besides, now she will be with Luna. Mother can always understand her daughter the best.' Bella said softly.

'Maybe you're right. Nevertheless, I envy your relationship with Delphi, or even Draco's relationship with Scorpious for that matter.' he answered.

'Maybe Delphi and Scorpious are just more mature. Perhaps Sanny is a late bloomer. She will grow out of being a brat.'

'Yeah.' Nordi muttered, spotting Draco heading back their side. 'Let's go back to the Headquarters, to our Lord. It's nothing more for us here.'

Three Death Eaters grabbed each other by the hands and disapparated from the platform

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POV: Sanctimonia Exile

Sanctimonia made her way along the train carriage, following reluctantly the two super-prodigies in front of her.

She took a quick glance out of the train's window. Another _super-prodigy_\- her pathetic excuse for a Father- has already dissaparated, not even having waited for the train to depart.

The girl rolled her eyes and stopped, as Delphi and Scorpious pushed their trunks into one of the compartments. She peeped inside it and frowned. Delphi and Scorpious were shaking hands with Leo Nott and Darius Flint - their parents friends' children, who were frequent guests at the Headquarters.

Sanny wasn't fond of Leo and Darius. She didn't really like any of the people involved with the Headquarters, for that matter.

'Come, Sanny, take a seat.' Delphi invited the girl.

Delphi looked hesitantly, but entered the compartment and sat down. Te train budged and departed from the station.

'So, Scorpio, Sanny and Delphi, how your summer was?' Leo asked, pulling a book out of his trunk.

'Brilliant.' Delphi smiled. 'Although my Mother had hired private tutors for me when I was five, that summer I had actually a chance to practice a little bit with Mother herself.'

'Awesome!' Darius' eyes widened. 'Training with Lady Bellatrix Black herself... That must be sick! Do you train with your Father, Scorpio?'

'My Father is really busy as a Squad Commander, but he actually finds a little bit of time to practice with me every single evening.' Scorpious said. 'Each night, I show him the spells I have learned during the daytime from our tutors.'

'What about you, Sanny?' Leo asked.

The girl snarled.

'Even if my Father begged me to train with him, I would have told him to sod off.' she muttered.

The boys exchanged unimpressed looks.

'But Commander Exile is a genius.' Leo said. 'He won the Battle of Hogwarts, didn't he?'

'The merit went to him for some reason, but he definitely had not won by himself.' she answered. 'My father has a status of oh-such-a-hero, but in reality he is nothing but overrated, unbelievably stubborn old sod.'

The four children went silent, staring at her. Sanny was sure that none of them would ever talk about their own Father this way.

'Sanny.' Scorpious said cautiously. 'Don't be disrespectful. Your Father isn't famous for nothing. He did awesome things during the War. My Father has told me all the stories; they had been schoolmates and comrades-in-arms at the time.'

'My Mother can confirm all those stories as his other comrade-in-arms.' Delphi added. 'What is more... my Father can confirm them, too.'

Sanctimonia gasped. Delphi didn't usually use her Father's name to intimidate others. She didn't brag about being the Dark Lord's daughter too often, although everybody in the compartment were aware of this. Delphi might not have a lot of daily contact with her Father, but Sanny knew how much the girl admired and respected him.

Delphini's identity was a problem. Sanctimonia could never speak her mind freely around the girl, having known that she would repeat her controversial opinions to her parents in no-time. Scorpious was another threat; he had a strong bond with Draco Malfoy and wouldn't hesitate to sneak on her to his Father as well.

Sanny's status as Nordi Exile's daughter gave her enough credit, to have many times gotten out with talking back and being potty-mouthed in general. Insulting her own Father was almost a daily routine, so Scorpio and Delphi have not been paying much attention to it anymore, except for giving her an earful once in a while. However, if Sanctimonia started expressing her opinions about other valid issues, it could not have ended good for her.

She decided to leave the compartment and look for a different place to spend the journey. She had enough of Delphi and Scorpious at the Headquarters;why bother to endure their presence in the train, too?

Disregarding questioning looks, she grabbed her trunk and stormed out, slamming the door. She was walking along the train carriage, until she spotted a compartment with only two students inside. A girl and a boy, clearly young, looking like fellow first-years.

'Excuse me.' she said, opening the door. 'Are those seats free?'

A chubby-faced, dark-haired boy smiled to her.

'Yes, come in.' he said in a soft voice.

'I'm Aiden Longbottom.' the boy introduced himself. 'This is Lily Potter.' he indicated a ginger-haired girl beside him.

Sanny was sure that she had heard those family names somewhere before, although, she was also sure that no people of those names have ever been in the HQ. As far as she knew, there were no Death Eaters named like this.

'Nice to meet you, I'm Sanctimonia Exile.' she said.

The boy and girl exchanged meaningful looks; Sanny felt awkward.

'I hate my first name.' she added quickly. 'My pathetic excuse for a Father came up with it. I prefer to be called Sanny.'

The boy smiled with a clear relief.

'Sanny.' he said softly. 'It's not your first name that intrigued me, it's your last name. I've recognized it and Lily also did. But considering the fact that you have a rather poor opinion about your Father, I will ask bluntly: your Father is...'

'An important Death Eater, yes.' Sanctimonia cut him off quickly. 'An almost worshipped celebrity, "hero" of the last War. But believe me: I don't associate myself with my Father in any way, so if you two also have a poor opinion of him, you may speak freely.'

The chubby boy - Aiden -nodded slowly.

'Well. We... you know, our parents, Lily's and mine, are good friends. They are also... members of a certain organization.' he said cautiously, eyeing the girl.

The ginger-haired skinny girl with freckled face nudged him gently.

'Aiden, I don't think we should...' she whispered worriedly.

Aiden turned to her.

'Lily, Sanny said herself, that she doesn't like her Father and the things he does. Right, Sanny?'

'Right!' Sanny said eagerly. 'But, Aiden... The organization you've mentioned. I thought that after the War all the Wizarding organizations had been abolished? That's what my excuse for a Father said, anyway.'

'That's why we are being so cautious.' the boy explained. 'This organization is illegal.'

Sanny's eyes widened.

'Illegal? Like... that it isn't supposed to exist?' she whispered.

Lily put her index finger on her lips.

'Shhhhhhh.' she whispered. 'If anyone of THEIR KIND found out about its existence, our families would have been sent off to Azkaban.'

'Have you ever heard the name "Order of the Phoenix"?' Aiden asked.

Sanctimonia nodded.

'Of course. Old sod... I mean, Father... has spent half of his life hunting down Order's members. But now the Order doesn't exist anymore.'

The chubby boy shook his head.

'That's the point: it does exist. We are active underground. It's not a lot of us, but the organization is still functional.' he explained.

Sanny felt that she is blushing from excitement. Her Father would kill for such information! Almost every day, he, Uncle Draco, Godmother Bellatrix and the others were busy hunting down the "ex-Order's members" and those who were opposing the Dark Lord. However, Sanny was sure that none of them knew that there is an entire working organization out there, that can one day pose a danger to them!

'What do you guys do? I mean, in the Order of the Phoenix?' she asked eagerly.

'We fight against the current regime.' Aiden said proudly. 'We distribute our own press organ to Witches and Wizards, because the "Daily Prophet" only contains lies. We broadcast our radio auditions with the news. We perform acts of sabotage. Soon, when the organization grows stronger, we are going to start attacks on Death Eaters' homes, and later, maybe we will also take over their Headquarters and end their rules.'

Sanny blushed.

'You know... I live there. I mean, in the Headquarters.' she confessed.

Aiden shook his head soothingly.

'You're a daughter of a prominent Death Eater, so I'm not surprised you live there. It doesn't matter, as long as you are willing to help us and support us.'

Sanny nodded quickly.

'Yes! Yes, I do! How do I apply for membership?'

Aiden looked at her amused.

'It's a quick decision. You... really must hate your Dad, right?' he asked.

'I hate him and everything he represents.' she said gravely. 'I want to join you.'

Lily nodded, looking at Aiden.

'Once, there used to be an age limit to become a Member. Now, after the Order had been decimated, they accept everyone regardless of age. We are in a desperate need of people to fight.' she said.

'That is why we're planning to spread the recruitment news amongst the Hogwarts students. We want to spread the idea, and enroll as many as possible. However, as you can tell, this is a very dangerous assingment.' the boy added.

Sanny was stunned.

'Indeed it is.' she muttered. 'You are aware that now THEY are the ones to rule at Hogwarts?'

_T h e y_. How easy came for her disassociate herself with the Death Eaters, her family, and people like Scorpious and Delphi. She was going to get a new affiliation now!

'We know.' Aiden admitted. 'That's why we must be so cautious and careful. We must not get caught by any of the teachers; what is more, we must watch out for a big part of the student body, too.'

Sanny's heart started racing. It was a real thing, a real issue. It was also extremely dangerous. How dangerous, she was perfectly aware, however- she had to make sure that Aiden and Lily know what they are really about to face.

'Aiden. Are you aware what they can... do to you? Whether I like it or not I am a daughter of one of them. If they suspect you, they can filter through your mind efortlessly. You guys know about Legilimency, right? And if Mind Magic fails, they have also... other ways of extracting the truth out of you. They have Veritaserum Potion. And they can also... curse you, to make you tell the truth.'

Aiden nodded, looking her in the eyes.

'I know, Sanny, but you also must know that we are not just a bunch of kids who are about to start a rebellion. We have backup, we are supported by the Order itself, we are acting on its behalf.'

'Aiden.' Sanctimonia said, narrowing her eyes. 'Does that mean that the recruitment to the Order an assingment you've gotten from your higher-ups?'

Aiden looked reluctantly at Lily, and the readhead girl nodded.

'It's an official assingment.' he admitted. 'I received it from my Father, Neville Longbottom.'

'His Father and my Father are the ones who reinstated the Order of the Phoenix after its nearly total disintegration.' Lily explained. 'Our Fathers hope to find a large supportive group at Hogwarts. They gave us permission to take things into our charge at school.'

Sanny has never been so excited. At last, she will be a part of something big and meaningful. At last, she will stand up to her Father and his ridiculous ideas.

And the task they were facing - it was so dangerous, and yet so exciting! Sanny couldn't wait to start recruitment for the Order. She will show everyone what she is capable of.

'Being a part of an illegal, underground organization which fights against everything what my stupid old man believes in. How COOL is that!' she whispered.

Aiden smiled.

'I think this is a start of something groundbreaking, Sanny.' he said. 'Everything depends on us.'


	2. I Wish She Was More Like Those Two

During the Welcoming Feast, Sanctimonia sat between Aiden and Lily, and a handful of their friends joined them. She spotted surprised looks from Delphi, Scorpious and their bunch, sitting at the opposite side of the huge square table. She shrugged her shoulders; her making new acquaintances was none of their business. They had no right to intervene in her friends choices. Luckily, they were not aware what those friends were up to.

She took a glance on the Head table, and quickly took her eyes off, seeing her Mother Luna and Grandfather Xeno waving to her and smiling. She won't need them anymore. Honestly, better if she was going to be disowned from her family for her new affiliations. She didnn't want to be associated with those people. She had not even an ounce of warm feeling towards them.

'Do you know anyone in the Faculty?' Aiden whispered to her ear.

'Almost everyone.' the girl replied bitterly. 'The woman with light blonde hair is my Mother, and the man beside her is my Grandfather. They teach, respectively, Care of Magical Creatures and History of Magic. Mother is a Death Eater and a War veteran, but she's not nearly as bad as my Father. She has been teaching here at Hogwarts for eighteen years already and all she cares about are those ridiculous animals. Grandfather had not been in the fight and he's not even a Death Eater. He swore allegiance to the Dark Lord only after the War, and did it exclusively for Mom.' she explained quietly.

Lily and Aiden eyed Luna Lovegood-Exile and Xenophilius Lovegood curiously.

'Comparing to the other Professors, those two don't look so bad.' Lily stated. 'What about the others, Sanny?'

'Well, the man looking like a greasy bat is Headmaster Snape.' Sanctimonia went on, glad that she can support her new friends with some information. 'He's on really friendly terms with my Father, which doesn't indicate anything good about him. He is also deeply involved with the Headquaters. He comes by every month to report on Hogwarts business to the Dark Lord personally.'

Lily and Aiden hummed in awe, looking at Snape.

'The siblings on the left, those with coarse faces, are Amycus and Alecto Carrow. They teach Applied Dark Arts and Muggle Studies. Very buddy-buddy with my family; Father invites them every once and then for dinner. I haven't spoken with them too much, but just look at their faces. They can't be any good, can they?'

'They can't.' Aiden confirmed. 'Inbred bunch, like every other Death Eater. No offence to your family, Sanny.' he added quickly.

Sanctimonia shrugged her shoulders. "Inbred", according to Father and Bella, was the worst possible slur one can use towards a Witch or a Wizard, because it "ridiculed old Pure-Blooded families' effort to maintain their purity.'' Exclusively for the reason Father hated the "i-word", Sanny was eager to use it as much as she could.

'No offence taken, but as far as I'm concerned, you can insult my family as much as you want.' she said.

Aiden smirked.

'Do you also know the other teachers, Sanny?' Lily said, smiling.

'Yes, I do.' Sanctimonia answered. 'This skinny guy right there is Theodore Nott, he has often been coming to the Headquarters along with his son Leo... Leo is the scrawny kid sitting right there, next to the blonde boy...Theodore will teach us Charms. The huge guy with bleached hair is Thorfinn Rowle, and the tall one right next to him is Osth Selwyn... dangerous individuals, believe me... War veterans and my Father's friends, they have been sitting in the Headquarters almost the entire summer. They teach respectively Transfiguration and Combative Dark Arts.'

Sanctimonia eyed the Head Table, wondering if she can recognize any other Professor.

'The other one I know is a Herbology Professor, Elena Avery, the dark-haired women next to the Carrows. As for the rest of them, I've never seen them before. I assume that they are a minority of the teachers who actually aren't Death Eaters.'

'It's horrible that we are about to be taught by, almost exclusively , people o kind.' Lily muttered.

'You shouldn't have expected anything else, Lily. After all, we've been warned by our parents how Hogwarts was going to look like.' Aiden answered matter-o-factly.

'I was aware of that, but seeing it on my own eyes... I can't help but feel intimidated.' Lily whispered, taking nervous glances towards the teachers.

'Now, Lily, chill out. We're going to kick their asses, aren't we?' Sanny said cheerfully.

'Exactly, Lily, cool down and eat your potatoes. You've barely eaten anything.' Aiden added.

That was true; Lily seemed to unnerved to eat. Aiden, on the other hand, stuffed his face without hesitations.

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All of the first -year girls had to share one Dorm room in the dungeons, magically enlarged to appear to be much bigger than it really was. It could comfortably accommodate thirteen girls without any problems.

Considering who Sanctimonia was, she could request her own room and her request probably wouldn't be denied. She also had an opportunity to sleep in the staff rooms with her Mother.

However, she chose not to. She decided to sleep in the Dorms like every other girl. She and Lily chose two neighboring beds beside the door.

She was also glad, that she doesn't have to share the bedroom with Delphini, who obviously took advantage of her high status and requested a room for her own.

Sure, living in the Dorms wasn't going to be as comfortable as living in her huge room with a king-sized bed in the Malfoy Manor. However, she would rather live in a *****, than take advantage of her Family name and connections. She didn't want to have anything to do with her family from now on.

From now on, she was Sanny. Just Sanny, not Sanctimonia Bellatrix Exile. She rejected every part of her name. If Hogwarts expected to have just welcomed Nordi Exile's perfect daughter, they would be truly disappointed.

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POV: Luna Lovegood-Exile

_Dear Dark Princess,_

_How was the first week of the term? How does your classes schedule look like? Is it as overloaded as the last year, or will you have some time for yourself throughout the week?_

_I am slightly apprehensive to ask, but how is Sanctimonia doing? Is she adjusting well to the new environment and the school life?_

_Luna, I haven't told you this before, but I am really concerned about our daughter. Not about how is she going to do at school, but about her attitude and behavior in general. Sanctimonia has always been a special girl and a maverick- not surprising, concerning who her parents are -but lately, she became just unbearable. Throughout the summer, when you had to already be at Hogwarts, she barely spoke to anyone, even refusing to make an eye-contact with me, or Bella. She avoided Scorpious and Delphi, locking herself in her room and never partaking in their training and entertainment games. She even refused to shake my hand for a goodbye when she was boarding Hogwarts Express, which was the most hurtful to me._

_Luna, I have to ask you to keep an eye on our daughter, and - if you only manage- have a heart-to-heat conversation with her. You have always been her favorable parent; what is more, as a Mother, you are more likely to understand the mind of an adolescent girl (more likely than me, and, apparently, than Bella)._

_I miss you very much, my Dark Princess. Please owl me back your schedule for this term, so I can arrange some time to come to Hogwarts to meet you and Sanctimonia._

_Please, greet Scorpious and Delphini from me. I know I should not be saying that, but I wish our daughter was more like those two._

_Always yours,_

_Nordi Exile, aka - your Dark Warrior._

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POV: Nordi Exile

_My dear Dark Warrior,_

_I am sad to hear those revelations concerning Sanctimonia from you, however, I must sadly confirm their truthfulness._

_Our daughter has changed, Nordi, changed dramatically and rapidly._

_Just as you are saying, Sanctimonia has always been an introverted and individualist person. However her personality now, is much more severe and, honestly, it is a little bit scary for me. _

_I do not think I will have a chance to have a heart-to-heart with her. I have prepared a small room next to my office for Sanctimonia, however, she refused to use it and chose to sleep in the girls Dorm instead. We exchanged maybe three words throughout this first week of school, because she clearly avoids me._

_I have not seen Sanctimonia around Scorpious and Delphi even once. As young children, those three used to be best, inseparable friends; obviously it has changed when they started growing up, but I expected our daughter to cling to her childhood friends at school, while she was not familiar with any of the other students. _

_Nordi, please, do not lose your temper reading this letter, but I am afraid Sanctimonia started to hang_ _out with the wrong crowd. If I see our daughter around other children, there always are offsprings of Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom - Lily and Aiden, who are Sanny's classmates._

_I do not condemn her for those new friendships, as I know that Longbottom and Potter have not been causing any trouble to our Lord and the New Wizarding World since the end of the War. Maybe those two are redeemed (judging by the fact that they allowed their children to go to Hogwarts), or maybe they just have given up on fighting us. However, I am still concerned about her spending time around those two kids. As you know perfectly well, Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom used to be my "friends" in our schooldays, too._

_I will keep you up-to-date with Sanctimonia's behavior and activities._

_I enclose my classes timetable in the envelope. As you can see, it is not as packed as last year._

_Take care of yourself, Dark Warrior. Remember to sleep and eat (instead of just drinking Pepper-Up 24/7). Say hi to Bellatrix, Draco, Ross and Jo from me. I will pass your greetings on to Scorpious and Delphini._

_Forever yours,_

_Dark Princess (Luna) xxx_

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As the clumsy inbred, Carrow, checked the attendance list, he lifted his distorted head up on his students.

'I prepared a more exciting class for today.' he said, grinning. 'Since you all are extraordinarily skilled, we shall learn a more advanced piece of magic. Are you excited?'

The first-years hummed in approval. Sanny just rolled her eyes to sitting next to her Aiden, who smirked, and exposed his teeth in a grin.

'I am afraid there are no more basic spells and curses from the first-year curriculum I can teach you, since your group consist almost entirely of prodigies.' Amycus Carrow went on. 'Therefore, although this is only the first month of the term, we shall exceed the curriculum and learn something more advanced.'

He paused, waiting for his words to sink in.

'Who of you is familiar with the Cursed Flames?' he asked finally.

Sanny's blood ran cold. Cursed Flames were her Father's trademark. He was a master of this spell, and used it during the War to successfully end the Battle of Hogwarts.

She felt several pairs of eyes focusing on her after Carrow's questions; probably the students expected her to show-off with a answer, and maybe perform the curse in front of the class.

Of course she knew the spell and was able to perform it. Fiendfyre was a first piece of accidental Magic she performed as a baby. Father taught her how to control the flames when she was not even five years old; too young to comprehend anything. A few years later, he swore to herself not to use this curse ever again.

If her classmates thought she was going to show them Cursed Flames, she was going to disappoint them.

'Anyone?' Carrow encouraged them. 'Perhaps... Miss Exile?'

Sanctimonia budged slightly.

'No, sir.' she answered automatically, in an unaffectionate voice.

Amycus Carrow looked at her, surprised.

'Really, Miss Exile? Have you never heard of the Cursed Flames?' he asked curiously.

'Was I supposed to, Professor?' she snarled. 'Just like you said, the Cursed Flames are not in the first-year curriculum. It is not my duty to be familiar with this spell.'

Amycus flinched, with confusion on his coarse face.

'Yes, but concerning your Father...' he started.

'I am not my Father!' she raised her voice, drawing everybody's attention to herself.

Carrow frowned.

'Miss Exile, you are not entitled to raise your voice on a teacher. Detention, next Tuesday, this classroom.' he said harshly.

Sanctimonia rolled her eyes. She had already three detentions scheduled for the next week.

'Maybe somebody else is familiar with the spell?' the inbred went on with the class.

Not surprisingly, Delphi- the loathsome prodigy- raised her hand.

'Miss Black, please, come forward and show us what you can do.'

Delphi stood in the middle of the classroom next to Carrow, and turned her freaky crimson eyes on Sanny.

'I just want to say' Delphi uttered, drawing her wand from a hostler. 'That unlike some people I know, I am not ashamed to be my Father's daughter.'

Sanny budged, and Delphi waved her wand.

'FIENDFYRE!' she yelled.

Countless thin, serpent like streams of flames shot out of her wand with a whoosh. The flames started circulating around the classroom and writhing between the students. Delphi's bright red eyes were calm; she had a full, perfect control of the fire serpents. She let them fly around for a couple of minutes, before she put her wand down, causing them to disappear.

The inbred looked impressed with Delphi's performance. He nodded eagerly at the girl, as she made her way back to the desk.

'Excellent, Miss Black, excellent! You will get an "Outstanding". Your parents must be so proud of you!''

Delphi smiled to him.

"Indeed they are, Professor Carrow. I do anything I can to make them proud."

"I'm gonna throw up.'' Sanctimonia whispered to Aiden, who smirked quietly.

Sanny was probably able to produce Cursed Flames not worse than Delphi, but she would rather refuse and serve the detention, than obey and receive an "Outstanding".


	3. Not a Perfect Daughter

"_I need to get inside the room of secret meetings. I need to get inside the room of secret meetings. I need to get inside the room of secret meetings."_

Sanctimonia walked along the wall on the seventh floor left corridor, repeating that request in her mind. After a couple of seconds, a heavy oak door appeared in front of her.

'You made it, Sanny!' Aiden greeted her happily, as she stepped inside the large room with a square wooden table in the middle. 'We were afraid, that you won't come tonight because all those detentions you've got.'

'No detention tonight.' Sanctimonia grinned at the boy, taking a seat at the table.

Everybody were there already. All of the Hogwarts students who decided to associate themselves with the Order of the Phoenix and fight against the current regime gathered in the Room of Requirement that night to hold an illegal meeting.

Sanny looked around. A lot of students were new to the organization, and found themselves on such a meeting for the first time. A handful, mostly children of the last War's veterans from the old Order, were already familiar with the idea- Aiden, Lily, Lily's older brother James, and Rose Weasley.

The new comrades whispered among each other in excitement of doing something thrilling and against the rules. The majority of them were upper-years, but Sanny spotted a handful of firsties, and a small group of second-years as well. In total, there were about twenty students - a fairly decent number, for the beginning.

Aiden fixed his dark-brown hair and stood up, clearing his throat. The students went silent and focused their eyes on the chubby boy.

'Uhm... Hi.' Aiden started lamely. He must not have been used to giving public speeches. 'I'm glad all of you manage to come, I see that everybody who signed up on the list is present.'

Aiden pulled out a piece of parchment, which circulated amongst the students for the past month. Students who were willing to join them, put their names on the sheet. Aiden knew a clever spell, which concealed the contents of the parchment for any "unauthorized" person, making it look like a blank sheet in their hands.

'Longbottom, can you explain us what place is it, and why is it considered a safest place in the school?' a fourth-year curly-haired boy asked, raising his hand.

'It's the Room of Requirement.' Aiden explained. 'It reveals itself each time you're in a need of a certain place. The contents of the room may change according to the will of a person inside, like, for example... look: I need one more chair.'

An extra chair appeared next to the table, causing everybody to hum in acknowledgement .

'This place is safest out there, because if the Room knows that we need a shelter from the Death Eaters, they are simply unable to get inside. My Father used this Room during the last War. He practically lived here during his senior year at Hogwarts, hiding from Snape and Carrows.' Aiden said.

'Aiden's Father was a leader of a resistance group at Hogwarts during the War.' Lily added. 'His group was a youth section of the Order of the Phoenix.'

The students nodded, looking at Aiden with a new respect.

'It's all nice and dandy.' said James Potter, a third-year, Lily's older brother. 'I have just one question: what is SHE doing here?'

Much to Sanny's shock, the older boy pointed his finger on her.

'What's wrong with you, James?!' Lily snarled, outraged. 'What do you mean? She expressed a support for group back in the Hogwarts Express. She joined immedietly when the group was being formed, and what is more, she helped us to recruit new members!'

James ran his hand through his messy black hair.

'Sister, don't be naive. No matter how supportive she appears to be, a person of ... _her kind_ ... should never be allowed to join us.'

Sanctimonia gasped. Twenty pairs of eyes focused on her.

'How do you know, that she won't go running to her Daddy and Mommy, to tell him everything we are doing here?' James went on.

'I won't !' Sanny yelled, furious with the older boy. 'I never speak with my parents anymore, I hate them!'

'However, you can't deny that your Father is one of the most important Death Eaters in the country. And you can't deny that you did grow up in their Headquarters.' James said slowly, looking her in the eyes.

'Yes, I did! And my childhood was a mess!' Sanctimonia snarled, feeling tears in her eyes.

'Give her a break, James. Don't you know that she is the one to talk back to the Inbreds during every single class of theirs? She's earned more detentions so far, than we all here put together. She's the one who stands up to the Death Eaters frequently, with no fear.' Aiden said.

'Besides, she rejected all of her privileges, such as having her own room. She could have claimed it, but she lives in the Dorms with us instead. I really don't understand why do you doubt in her loyalties. It's not her fault, that she was born into such a family. She made her decision and rejected them, choosing our side. ' Lily added.

'James, you know that you cannot choose your parents. You can only choose your friends and allies.' Rose Weasley said silently to her cousin.

James flushed slightly, and sat down, seeing that he has lost the argument.

'If James is finally done' Aiden said, shooting his cheeky friend a look 'we can go on with our meeting. I need a volunteer who will take this list' he lifted his piece of parchment up 'and send it by owl to my Father, to the Order's hideout. As all of you know, the letters we sent from Hogwarts, especially Potter and Longbottom children, are strictly monitored and the Carrows check every single mail before it's sent. Neither me, nor Lily can sent it without a risk for the names be revealed, even if I put my Glamour on the sheet.'

Sanny jumped off her seat and tore the list of Aiden's hand.

'I'll do it!' she said firmly, looking down at James. 'I'm lucky enough, that being a daughter of a certain pathetic old sod makes my owl free from being monitored.'

Before anyone had a chance to react, the girl stepped outside of the room and ran to the owlery.

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POV: Nordi Exile

_Dear Dark Warrior,_

_I hate to deliver bad news for you, but Sanctimonia_ _is_ _getting more and more problematic. I really am helpless , and have no idea what to do anymore._

_There is not a day when I don't hear complaints about her. The entire Hogwarts Faculty is unanimous about our daughter being cheeky, arrogant and rude towards them._

_Sanctimonia has already_ _earned twenty seven detentions since the term started, and it is not even November yet. Especially Amycus, Alecto and Rowle complain about her behavior. The majority of her detentions was assigned by those three. Most of her detentions were caused by her talking back, being rude during the classes, and a couple of times by insulting her Professors and fellow students. _

_What worries me the most, is that I see Sanny constantly surrounded by the wrong crowd. At first, it was only the Potter girl and Longbottom boy. Recently, another Potter offspring- an older one, named James- joined their little group, along with a couple of other students with "problematic" backgrounds. By "problematic", I mean that families of those children in majority stand against our Lord._

_I think our duty as her parents is to do something about it - if the school punishments do not take any impact on her, we should try to discipline her ourselves._

_I consulted it with Headmaster Snape. He agrees with me, that you should come to Hogwarts, so we both can have a serious conversation with her. I think that presence of your Parents can also have a beneficial influence on her, so you may take Ross and Jo when you all receive a furlough._

_Please, Nordi, talk to Colonel Malfoy. Ask him for a furlough leave for the nearest weekend. If he does not agree, show him this letter._

_Send me in return the date of your visit here._

_Yours_

_Dark Princess (Luna)_

_PS. I wanted to lift your mood with some better news, sweetheart, so I will write about your Goddaughter and Godson. Delphi - just as we all assumed - is on the top of her class, and the teachers assessed her level as high enough to graduate early. Headmaster has already arranged for her sitting her OWLs this summer, and her NEWTs next summer. _

_Scorpious is only the next level down. He is second best among the first-years, and the teachers cannot stop praising his skills. What might surprise you, is that Scorpious started hanging out with another Potter offspring - a second-year boy named Albus. However, Albus is an "rotten apple" of the Potter family- he rejected all the family traditions and stands wholeheartedly on our side. He really is different than his siblings- well mannered, quiet and polite. Unfortunately, Albus is not as skilled as most of the Potters and lacks some basic Wizarding abilities-our Scorpious is helping him improving his grades and Magical performance. I am really happy for Albus that he found such a friend._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

POV: Sanctimonia Exile

'Remember, Sanny? We meet tonight at eight in the Room of Requirement.'

Sanny frowned and gave Aiden an apologetic look.

'I'm sorry, Aid. Tonight I cannot come. My pathetic excuses for parents want me to attend some ridiculous family gathering in my Mother's office. My Father and Grandparents are going to be there.'

Aiden's green eyes widened.

'Really? It looks like a serious issue... Sanny, you must be extremely cautious...' he whispered.

Sanctimonia shrugged her shoulders.

'Just as cautious as ever around my stupid parents. No eating, no drinking, no eye-contact. However, tonight, I doubt my pathetic excuse for a Father will bother to sneak any Veritaserum in, or even use Legilimency. They seem to want to... hmm, discuss my less-than-excellent performance at school.' she explained.

Aiden looked at her compassionately.

'Nevertheless, be careful. You know those people; they may want to break you. I will wait for you in the Common Room until your "family gathering" is over.'

Sanny smiled to him.

'Thanks, Aid. I appreciate your concern. I won't yield to them, I promise.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As soon as Sanny stepped inside her Mother's office, she saw the pathetic old sod- standing in his loathsome, heavily embroidered leather black robes. A forced smile was stick to his face. He held a small, greasy package.

'Sanny.' he said, clearly trying to speak softly. 'Look what I got for you on the way: your favorite chocolate fudge cake.'

He handed a greasy package over to her, but she only smirked.

'Do you really think that I am stupid enough to accept any food from you, Father?'

Nordi frowned.

'By the Dark Lord, I swear it's just a cake.' he said lamely. She got enraged each time he used this phrase of his.

Sanctimonia heard somebody clearing their throat and she looked around- only now did she spot her Grandmother and Grandfather sitting on the couch.

'We were present when your Father was buying the cake. He didn't soak any Veritaserum Potion into it, I promise.' Grandmother Jo said gently.

Sanny clenched her teeth. She did not have patience for those people whatsoever. She wanted to head back to Common Room, to Aid and Lily, and the rest of their group. She drew her wand, aiming it at the package.

'Incendio.' she muttered, creating a small single fire stream, which quickly burned the cake down.

Father put his head slightly down, eyeing Sanny in dissapoitment. The girl looked on his face, but was careful not to make any eye contact.

'Alright.' the Death Eater muttered. 'Take a seat, Sanny, we'd like to have a chat with you.'

Sanny sat down on an armchair, opposite to her Mother and Grandparents. Father remained standing, looking at his daughter in concern.

'Listen, sweetie.' Nordi started. Sanny flinched, hearing a tender name. 'Today, we want to talk openly and honestly. No Veritaserum, no Mind Magic, but I want you to be sincere with us. Do you agree?'

Sanctimonia rolled her eyes. She just wanted this ridiculous conversation to be over, and arguing would make it even longer.

'Yes, Father.' she snarled.

'Sanny, I will be blunt: we are all concerned about your grades and your behavior at school.' Luna said calmly.

'And that is why Father dragged Grandfather and Grandmother here? To talk about my grades and behavior? ' the girl muttered. She was seriously confused about the reason of gathering the entire family at Hogwarts that day.

'No.' Nordi answered. 'Grandfather and Grandmother are here, because we noticed that you started associating yourself with... the wrong kind of people.'

Sanny budged, outraged. She narrowed her eyes at Father.

'None of your business.' she snarled. 'I am allowed to make friends at school.'

Nordi frowned.

'Do not talk to your Father this way.' he said silently.

Sanctimonia didn't bother to answer.

'I have nothing against you making friends.' he went on. 'I only don't like the simple fact, that all friends you've made since the beginning of the term, have very unclear allegiances.'

Sanny smirked.

'Oh, of course! The first thing I should ask when I get acquainted with somebody, is asking them about their allegiances. Maybe I should ask about the Blood Status, too? I will require a detailed family tree from each of my potential future friend.' she snarled.

'Sanny!' Luna hissed.

Nordi was visibly desperate to remain calm.

'Sanny, I won't sugarcoat: you've earned almost thirty detentions in two months, you are disrespectful towards your Professors, you talk back during the classes, and you haven't scored a better grade than a "Poor" so far, despite being one of the more skilled pupils at school. Keeping all of this in mind, I don't want you to hang out with those people anymore. They're clearly bringing you down.'

The blonde-haired girl smirked.

'Yes, I am definitely going to terminate my friendship with Aiden and Lily, because you are telling me to.' she mocked.

'I can make you.' Nordi said quietly, flushing on the face.

'Oh, so you're now threatening me, Father? Just to let you know: it's not Aid and Lily who bring me down. I bring myself down on my own. Have you never thought that maybe I don't want to be a perfect daughter of a perfect Death Eater? Have it never crossed your mind that maybe your precious _Sanctimonia _wants to be somebody else than a mere fulfillment of your ambitions? That I want to do other stuff in my life? I had came to this conclusion years before I met Aiden and Lily, Father, and know that my friends choices are another thing that I want to make on my own.'

Father was clearly unsure how to react; he eyed Sanny cautiously. She smiled with satisfaction.

'Sanny.' he said, remaining calm with a visible effort. 'You are talking about being somebody else than I want you to be, and doing different stuff in your life than I want you to do. We are speaking honestly today. Will you elaborate?'

Sanctimonia clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes.

'Are you really such a dim-wit, Father? Don't you understand? Not everybody enjoys groveling at the feet of your Lord! '

Sanny watched her Father turning crimson. She was satisfied- she finally managed to disconcert him. He stretched his hand out towards her, breathing heavily. His lips were trembling.

Excellent, Sanctimonia thought, now he is going to curse me. Then I will have another credible proof for Aiden, James and the others of what a bastard he is!

However, Luna jumped forward to Nordi just in time, and pulled his hand down forcefully.

'No! Nordi, remember what have we sworn to each other? We will never use corporal punishments on her!' she yelled.

Nordi clenched his teeth and turned his head away from his daughter.

'Sanctimonia Bellatrix Exile, you will immedietly apologize for what you've just said.' Mother said harshly towards the girl.

'Not in this millennium.' Sanny answered cockily.

'Give it a rest, Luna, the situation is far more serious than I've assumed.' Father snarled. 'Listen, Sanctimonia: the path you are going down will lead you to nowhere.'

The girl smirked again.

'How can I know, if I haven't walked it yet?'

'Because your Mother and Grandparents have.' Nordi answered. 'That is why we are all gathered here. I was hoping for a pleasant, comfortable conversation, but with you acting up, the atmosphere is tense. Nevertheless, we will tell you everything we intended to tell you.'

'In my schooldays, I used to be in an organization...' Luna started, but Sanny cut her off with an unpleasant laughter. She didn't intend to listen to all those rants all over again!

'... which was a youth section of the Order of the Phoenix. I know your story, Mother. I also know that Father has then bamboozled you, and made you leave the resistance group.'

'He did not _bamboozle_ me' Luna answered, flushing. 'He just pointed out for me, how I used to be manipulated and taken advantage of in this organization...'

'...so you have switched sides. Really, Mother, how _heroic_ of you.' Sanny mocked, rolling her eyes.

'It was heroic of your Mother's part, Sanctimonia.' Nordi said quietly, clenching his fists. 'You have no idea what are you talking about. You haven't lived in the War times. Back then, at Hogwarts, for following the Dark Lord people were persecuted and tormened. You have no idea... I saw your Mother in tears, every day...'

'How horrible!' the girl went on mocking. 'Now is the other way around, isn't it? Besides, I know the rest of Mother's story; she was being bullied for switching sides, she cried her eyes out to your shoulder, you comforted her, and you two cuddled with your Dark Marks clung together. Conjure a bucket for me, Father, because I'm afraid I'm going to throw up.'

Sanny saw her Mother turning crimson ; she looked like in a severe fever. Father's face was equally red.

'Sweetheart.' Grandmother Joanne said. 'I don't think there is a need to be so impolite towards your parents. They just want to help you, to talk to you...'

'And why did he bring the two of you along, Grandmother?' the girl asked, turning towards the old Witch. 'Because you two also have a story of switching allegiances? I'm afraid I know your stories, and they aren't going to change my outlook. My Father is wasting my time, your time, and his time too.'

'Sanny, my dear.' Joanne spoke gently. 'Your Father doesn't deserve to be treated so disrespectfully by his own daughter. You know, your Grandfather...'

'...had been bed-ridden and unable to move for sixteen years, before Father gave him a bath in his own blood and fixed his body. Blah, blah, blah. I know it all, Grandmother, it used to be my bed-time story growing up. And honestly, it takes no impact on me whatsoever.'

Joanne and Ross looked at their granddaughter, clearly stunned.

'He did not bathe me in his blood, Sanny, he performed a Blood Ritual.' Ross said.

'It comes down to the same thing, doesn't it?' Sanctimonia snarled, and indicated Nordi. 'Everybody makes a huge fuss about those Blood Rituals he can perform, even though they come down to slicing a wrist and spilling a hell ton of blood, sketching some ridiculous doodles on the ground. And it's nothing but disgusting!'

'If not for such a disgusting Ritual, your Grandfather would have been unable to stand upright and walk to the end of his days.' Nordi said quietly.

Sanny turned her face towards him, enraged.

'And what is that you are trying to point out for me, bringing this up? Are you trying to show me how righteous and noble the Death Eaters' side is? Sorry, Father, but this is a ridiculously lame example. Or perhaps are you trying to show me how cool you are? Forgive me, but you are the most uncool person I have ever known.'

For the first time during the conversation, the girl dared to look her Father in the eyes. She saw nothing but boundless grief and disappointment in their bright, silver depth.

'Enough playing around, Sanctimonia.' Nordi said harshly. 'If you are too immature for a grown-up conversation, I'm going to treat you like you deserved- like a child. Starting from now, you will obey three rules: no more hanging out with Potter and Longbottom, or any of their friends. No more interrupting during the classes and no more disrespectful replies to your Professors.'

Sanny felt that she is starting to see red. She gasped, standing slowly up from the armchair.

'If you think, that you can make me give my friends up, you are mistaken.' she said slowly through clenched teeth. 'If you think, that I can put up with all the bullshit I am being thought during the classes, you are mistaken. If you think, that you will make me start respecting those coarse, inbred...'

Before Luna had a chance to react, Nordi slapped Sanny in the face. Powerfully.

'Well then.' the girl uttered, touching carefully her sore cheek. 'I guess our conversation is over. Goodnight to all of you.'

Not waiting for their reaction, Sanny stepped out of the office, slamming the door as hard as she could.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As soon as Sanctimonia reached the Common Room- almost empty at this time of night - Aiden stood up from the leather couch, visibly anxious.

'Sanny, you were sitting there for ages! What did those bastards want from you?'

Before Sanny answered, Lily and James joined them.

'What did your Father do to you, Sanny? Did he curse you?' Lily asked in horror.

'No, he just slapped me in the face.' the girl explained, indicating her red, burning cheek. 'I stormed out of the room and slammed the door before he could stop me.'

All three of them hummed in admiration.

'Wow, Sanny! How awesome is that?' Aiden said.

He lifted his hand up towards Sanctimonia. The girl gave him a high-five, grinning, proud of herself.


	4. I Am Not Your Brother

_POV: Nordi Exile_

_My Dear Dark Warrior,_

_I just want you to know that you did everything you could, and you should not blame yourself for Sanctimonia's behavior. You have tried to reason with her, you have tried to ask her politely, you have also tried to be strict and give her a clear order. All we can do is to wait for this terrible phase of her to pass by._

_I know how hurtful this conversation yesterday was for you, I could see all the pain and disappointment in your eyes. I am deeply hurt and disappointed by our daughter's behavior as well- however, you clearly are more emotional about it than I am. It is not surprising, after all those horrible words you have heard coming out of her mouth._

_Dark Warrior, do not despair. I am sure that when Sanctimonia will grow up, someday she will see how hurtful her words towards you really were._

_Sadly, just like we assumed, she did not change her ways. She is still seen around Potter siblings and Longbottom boy all the time. Sometimes, they disappear somewhere, along with a larger group of students. They whisper to each other and sneak around the castle; I suspect them of holding secret, illegal meetings. I recognized this type of behavior, because in my school days, as a member of the "Dumbledore's Army", I used to act the same way._

_Fortunately, there are not any acts of sabotage or even pranks from those students' part, so Headmaster Snape decided to leave this group to be. He wants to wait patiently, and step into action, if the students decide to act in one or another way._

_Although the suspicious group seems harmless, I am still really upset that our daughter got involved in such activities. I hope she will not do anything extremely reckless and put herself into even more trouble._

_I will keep you informed._

_Yours_

_Dark Princess L. L-E_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'What's that? Aid! show me!' Lily tried desperately to look above Aiden's shoulder on a piece of parchment he held in shaking hands.

Aiden, Lily , James and Sanctimonia- the four informal leaders of the resistance group- sat in the Room of Requirement. Aiden has just received a letter with a ton of protective spells upon it; it was sent from his Father's hideout.

'That, my friends' Aiden whispered, lifting the sheet up ' Is our first assingment from the Order of the Phoenix leadership!'

James, Lily and Sanny hummed in admiration. They were finally starting partaking in serious actions!

'Father says, that the task is voluntary'. Aiden went on. 'If we consider it too dangerous or beyond our abilities, we may forsake partaking in it and leave it to the grown-ups. However, our parents - mine, Lily's and James'- are not supposed to leave their hideout unless it's necessary. They are outlawed and wanted, so it isn't safe for them to partake in such tasks. It would be less risky, if we managed to go through with this mission ourselves.'

'Of course that we volunteer!' James exclaimed. 'What is the task about, Longbottom?'

'Are you guys familiar with the name Professor Mcgonagall?' Aiden asked.

Lily and James nodded, but Sanny shook her head; she's never heard of such a person.

'Professor Mcgonagall used to teach Transfiguration here.' Aiden explained for Sanctimonia's benefit. 'She was one of the most prominent member of the Order of the Phoenix during the War, and she took part in the Battle of Hogwarts too. After the War, when the Death eaters took over, she was punished with a home arrest. Some powerful Blood Wards have been put up around her house, so she cannot leave it.'

Sanny nodded; she had a certain idea who had put those wards up.

'My Father wants us' Aid went on 'To go and release her from her home arrest.'

The three students stared at the chubby boy in disbelief. They did not expect such a difficult task for their first time.

'How, Longbottom?' James snarled. 'You told us about the Blood Wards a second ago. In case you don't know, such wards are impossible to be crossed, unless you are blood-keyed.'

Aiden smiled.

'We have an important trail.' he said. 'How do you think, Sanny, who has put up the wards around Professor Mcgonagall's house?'

'It definitely was my Father.' she said, frowning with disgust. 'He's a Warding Master and a Blood Rituals Master. If the house is protected by Blood Wards, it must have been him.'

'And what your brilliant plan is, Longbottom? Are we going to ask politely her fabulous Daddy to put the wards down for us?' James mocked.

'No, you cheeky dim-wit!' Aid lost his patience with the older boy. 'SHE is going to put the wards down!'

Sanny's eyes widened.

'M-me...?' she stuttered.

James rolled his eyes.

'See, Longbottom? She's clearly unable to do it. She doesn't know how. And honestly, I don't blame her at all: Blood Rituals is not a piece of cake, it's a very complicated branch of Magic.'

Sanny turned crimson. James was wrong. She was more than familiar with Blood Rituals. During her childhood, she spent a hell lot of time observing her Father practice; she watched him slicing his wrists and kneeling down, using his blood to sketch Runic symbols on the ground. She was positive that she could perform any kind of Blood Ritual even with her eyes closed.

'I could take those Blood Wards down in no-time! Half of my childhood consisted of watching my pathetic excuse for a Father drawing his ridiculous doodles with his blood!' she snarled at James.

'What is your problem, then, Exile?' the older boy asked, narrowing his dark eyes.

'I... I swore to myself never to perform this kind of Magic!' she confessed, feeling tears in her eyes. 'It's a Darkest branch of Magic out there, and I... I just... don't want to use _Father's _methods to accomplish my goals!'

Aiden and Lily looked at her with understanding, but James went on teasing her:

'And maybe...' he said in a sickening sweet voice. 'You just don't want to ruin your Father's work? Maybe deep down inside, you want to be his obedient daughter? Maybe you don't even want Professor Mcgonagall to be free?'

'SHUT UP!' Sanny yelled, seeing red. 'YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW WRONG YOU ARE!'

'James, would you please finally stop bullying her?' Aiden snarled. 'In case you are too blind to notice, she is wholeheartedly on our side. Sanny...' he said gently, turning his head towards her. 'I understand why are you being apprehensive. However, keep in mind that there is nothing wrong in using vile methods to accomplish good, noble goals. As long as you use your Dark abilities for a righteous cause, using them is perfectly acceptable. Remember the motto of the greatest Wizard of all time, Albus Dumbledore?'

'For the Greater Good.' Sanctimonia whispered.

'Exactly. For the Greater Good.' Aid smiled.

Sanny made up her mind. She came forward to the boy and grabbed him by the hand.

'Let's go, Aiden. Take me there.' she said firmly.

Aiden's eyes widened in confusion.

'But, Sanny... What do you want me to do?'

Now, Sanny was confused.

'Do you know where Professor Mcgonagall lives, don't you?' she asked.

'Yeah. I mean, I have been there once, in my childhood. My Mother made a field trip for me; we visited graveyards and homes of all the prominent Order of the Phoenix heroes. I also received a full address of Professor Mcgonagall house; Father enclosed it in the envelope along with his letter.'

'Then, what are we waiting for? I'll take the wards down! We will release Professor Mcgonagall, you only have to take me to her. Let's go. Side-along apparate me. Now!' she said anxiously.

Aiden blushed crimson on his chubby face.

'Sanny... I cannot apparate.' he confessed silently.

Sanctimonia flinched; that was unexpected. She let go of Aiden's hand.

'Oh.' she muttered.

'You can, Sanny?' Lily asked in admiration.

'Of course I can apparate, but in this case my ability is useless.' Sanny answered bitterly. 'It must be somebody who has already been in this place, and is able to envision it in details. James...?' she asked with a hope, turning towards the older boy.

James shook his head.

'Maybe in the Death Eater's Headquarters the children under eleven are being taught how to apparate, Exile, but in normal families it's not the case.' he snarled.

Sanctimonia frowned.

'Sanny' Aiden said in an excited voice. 'I have an address of this place from Father, and I'm sure that somewhere in the Dorms I also have a photograph of Professor Mcgonagall's house and its surroundings. I took it during the field trip with Mother. If you saw the photo and knew the location, do you think you would be able to side-along apparate me?'

'I can try.' Sanny answered. 'You know, I'm quite skilled in Apparition. I've never splinched and I've never missed my target, and I can go quite the distance. The biggest risk we take, is having to go around for a little bit, until we reach the exact location.'

Aiden nodded, smiling.

'That is a risk I can take. Let's go to the Dorms, I'll find the photograph for you.'

Unexpectedly, just as they stepped out of the Room of Requirement, they saw somebody waiting for them outside.

A tall, second-year boy with black hair and striking emerald eyes stood with his arms crossed on his chest, eyeing them cautiously.

'Well, well. I knew that the lot of you is up to something.' he said quietly.

James took a step forward, fuming with anger.

'You spy on us, Albus?!' he snarled.

Sanny only now comprehended who the green-eyed boy was- it was Albus Potter, Lily's and James' brother.

What she knew about this boy, is that he was a black sheep in the Potter family. He stood against his parents and siblings, being on the same side as Sanny's father. Sanny also knew, that cousin Scorpious had a big influence on Albus Potter's alliegances.

'I have a moral duty to spy on you, James.' Albus answered calmly. 'What are the four of you up to, anyway? You're involved in some slimy business, just like Scorpio assumes, aren't you?'

'The only slimy thing I see here is you, Albus.' James snared. 'And what are we involved in, is none of your fucking business.'

Albus looked at him, unimpressed.

'Do you think nobody will notice how you and your friends disappear frequently inside the Room of Requirement? Do you think you are not already suspected of illegal activities? Do you want to put yourself into even more trouble, brother?'

James drew his wand and pointed it at Albus.

'I...Am...Not...Your...Brother.' he uttered, emphasizing words.

Albus drew his wand as well.

'James!' Lily cried. 'Put the wand down! You too, Albus! You two cannot fight in the corridor!'

James snarled and put his wand back to the hostler.

'Like I would waste my time on this pathetic Death Eaters' puppet.' he muttered.

'And like I would waste my time on this pathetic Blood Traitor.' Albus muttered.

'What did you say?!'

'BOYS!' Lily yelled. 'Albus. We have some homework to do tonight, so please, let us head to the Dorms. James, leave Albus alone. Let's go.'

Before they went away, James shot his younger brother one more hostile look.

'Question your commitment, Albus.' he hissed. 'You were named in a honor of the greatest Wizard of all time, and yet you are acting against everything he used to believe in!'

Albus shook his head sadly.

'Greatest Wizard of all time? More like a greatest manipulator of all time.' he said quietly and slowly walked away.


	5. For The Greater Good

CRACK!

Two eleven-year-olds apparated in the middle of a dry meadow.

Aiden was shaking slightly, dizzy from Side-Along Apparition. He visibly had to force himself to stand upright and look around.

'We are getting close, Sanny. I can already recognize the neighborhood.' he said anxiously. 'It's further to the South-East. Like a ten miles from here.'

Sanny nodded and offered the boy her hand again. He grabbed it, and they dissaparated.

After a split second, they found themselves further away, still surrounded by a dry meadow, but this time they stood at the feet of a steep hill.

'We're here!' Aiden whispered, excited. 'The house is up there!'

Sanctimonia lifted her head to look up the hill. Indeed, a small wooden cottage could be seen from afar, all they had to do is to climb up. The moon was full, shooting a dim light on the meadows; it was bright enough not to use "lumos" to light their way.

'Be careful, Aid, and walk very slowly.' Sanny warned her friend, making her way up the hill. 'Knowing my dearest Father, one of the wards he used is the Repelling one. It's really nasty if you run into it.'

The chubby boy nodded, swallowing anxiously. He was visibly unnerved by his first assingment. Sanny didn't feel quite this way- all she could feel was excitement and satisfaction.

As soon as she sensed the Repelling ward an inch from her outstretched hand, she ordered the boy to stop. A strong protective hemisphere surrounded a small estate; the wooden cottage stood in the middle of the circle.

'I hope that you brought the Blood Replenishment Potion, like I have asked you?' Sanctimonia asked.

'Three vials, just in case.' the boy whispered anxiously.

'Excellent.' Sanny said and drew her wand, pressing it against her left wrist.

She turned her head towards Aiden, whose dark eyes were reflecting the moon light.

'For the Greater Good.' she whispered to the boy.

Aiden nodded.

'For the Greater Good.' he said solemnly.

'Sectarius.' she uttered quietly.

The Cutting Curse made a deep wound in her wrist, making the blood flowing heavily straight from her exposed veins. She winced in pain, looking at the bleeding cut. How could the stupid excuse for a Father have dedicated his life to this branch of Magic? It was disgusting!

Aiden watched in horror, as Sanny started slowly encircling the protective hemisphere, leaving a bloody trail behind her. Walking and bleeding out, she felt progressively more and more dizzy; when she finally managed to make a huge blood circle, Aiden ran flying to her with a vial of Blood Replenishment Potion.

Sanctimonia swallowed the contents of the vial in one gulp. Feeling a little bit stronger, she stretched her bleeding hand out, placing it upon the circle.

How did the stupid sod do this again...? She spent a short while recalling the process of the Ritual.

'Exicco. Exicco. Exicco. Exicco. Exicco. Repeat five times.' she was talking clearly and slowly; her bleeding hand was shaking. 'Vacivus.'

The blood circle around the cottage started glowing with a bright, red light. Aiden hummed in admiration.

'Auctoritas Sanguine Purus. Auctoritas Sanguine Purus. Auctoritas Sanguine Purus...'

The light of the circle was getting progressively brighter as the girl muttered the incantations.

She felt disgusted with herself. He hated performing this Ritual. She hated uttering those incantations, created and established by Wizards who believed in blood purity. The only comfort she found for herself, was doing it all for The Greater Good.

The red light reached its brightest point - and vanished.

Sanny took a few cautious steps forward. The wards were gone.

She turned around and grinned to Aiden.

'You did it!' the boy exclaimed in amazement. 'You're awesome, Sanny! You're incredible!'

Sanctimonia blushed slightly, seeing the boundless admiration in Aiden's eyes.

'Don't exaggerate.' she said modestly. 'Let's check this cottage out. I hope that Professor Mcgonagall is really there; I wouldn't like knowing that I have spilled a shit ton of blood in vein.'

'She is, for sure!' Aiden answered and took her by the hand, dragging her forward.

They pushed apprehensively the heavy, oak door of the cottage. The door wasn't locked; with powerful Blood Wards outside there wasn't any need to additionally lock the house.

The house was dark. Aiden casted a "lumos". They looked around the interior -it was very neat, tidy and cozy. The front door led straight to a small, old-fashioned living room, arranged in a Victorian style. A couch and a couple of soft armchairs stood beside a wooden, heavily carved coffee table.

Suddenly, they heard a sound from the side of the couch; they immedietly pointed their wands that way.

It was a fluffy, grey cat, looking at them with its huge golden eyes.

'Look, Aiden, Professor Mcgonagall has a kitten!' Sanny exclaimed.

'It seems like it, but I wonder where is Mcgonagall herself? The cottage appears to be abandoned...'

He stopped, when the can unexpectedly jumped towards their side. Both eleven-year-olds screamed and stepped back, as the cat transfigured itself mid-air into an elderly Witch.

Professor Mcgonagall stood in front of them, watching their shocked faces. She had pale, blue eyes and wore small oval glasses. Her hair were long, thin and untidy. She looked unwell even for her elderly age. She was very pale, very underweight, and with a sunken face. Almost twenty years of being imprisoned in this tiny cottage clearly took an impact on her.

'Who are you two, and how did you get here?' Professor asked.

Her voice was hoarse; probably an effect of not having anyone to speak with for so many years.

'Professor Mcgonagall!' Aiden exclaimed, shaking his shock. 'We're sorry about the unexpected visit, but we came to get you out of here! Aiden Longbottom and Sanctimonia Exile, you used to teach both our Fathers at Hogwarts.'

The Witch's pale eyes twinkled with understand, looking at the boy.

'Are you a son of Neville Longbottom?' she asked, her voice instantly becoming softer.

'Yes! My Father leads the Order of the Phoenix from underground.' he said eagerly.

Mcgonagall's eyes brightened.

'So... the Order is still out there...?' she whispered.

'Yes, ma'am. We are the Order's youngest members; we are here to release you from your house arrest an take you to the safe hideout.' Sanny said proudly. Mcgonagall turned her pale eyes towards the girl.

'Miss... Exile?' she asked apprehensively. 'And your Father is...'

'...a bad guy.' Sanctimonia finished, blushing slightly. 'He was the one who locked you up here, Professor. I've come to fix the damage he had done. I'm nothing like my Father, actually, I despise him.'

Mcgonagall eyed the girl carefully. Sanny figured out that she must have had unpleasant memories about Nordi Exile.

'Professor, Sanctimonia was the one to side-along apparate me here and put the wards of your house down!' Aiden said , clearly wanting to paint a positive image of his friend in Mcgonagall's mind . 'You are now free to leave this place, ant it's all thanks to her!'

Mcgonagall was visibly stunned. She looked Sanny in the eyes.

'Is that true? Did you work the Blood Wards of my home out? Did you put them down?' she asked in disbelief.

Sanctimonia shrugged her shoulders modestly.

'I've often watched my stupid old man performing Rituals. I know this branch of Magic inside out, so I decided to use it - unlike my pathetic Father - for a good cause.' she said sincerely.

Mcgonagall nodded slowly, still looking at the girl in shock.

'Professor, we are supposed to take you to the hideout!' Aiden reminded. 'It's my Father's family house, and an unofficial Order's Headquarters. You probably know where the Longbottom Manor is, so if you could side-along apparate both of us... err, If your Magic is too drained from the imprisonment, Sanny can try and do it... My Father wants me to make sure that you reach the safe place tonight , I received this assingment as an Order's member...'

'I understand, Mr Longbottom, and I assure you that you will complete your assingment and I will head to your Father's place.' the old Witch promised. 'However, this will have to wait. I have something I must do, before I depart to the hideout.'

Aiden's eyes widened in confusion.

'Professor, I understand that you probably have a lot of stuff you want to do, concerning that you have been imprisoned in this cottage for almost twenty years. However, I must insist on heading to the hideout immedietly... Are you aware how dangerous the Wizarding World is for an escapee like you?'

'I promise, Longbottom, that I will reach the safehouse not later than by the tomorrow dawn. I have only one place I need to visit before.' Macgonagall said firmly. 'I need to go to Hogwarts.'

'Hogwarts?!' Sanny exclaimed. 'Professor, you have no idea... This place is THEIR fortress... If you go there, you will be caught immediately and tossed into Azkaban!'

Aiden nodded eagerly.

'They will have no chance to catch me, and I don't intend to walk around the castle and expose myself to all the Death Eaters out there. I only want to pay a visit to the... current Headmaster.' she said quietly.

'You want to go to Snape?!' Aiden exclaimed.

Mcgonagall's pale eyed darkened. She gave the children a long, sad look, before she decided to speak:

'For twenty years, sitting locked up in this cottage, there wasn't even one day I haven't thought about his betrayal.' she whispered. 'There wasn't even one night for me, without nightmares about that evening when Professor Dumbledore was killed. Each time I close my eyes, I see Snape giving his inauguration speech as the new Headmaster, uprooting all of the Hogwarts traditions; abolishing Four Houses and introducing Death Eaters as the new faculty. No matter how hard I'm trying to forget the Battle of Hogwarts, I can still feel pain under my knees, in the spot where he had hit me back then with his Cutting Curse.'

Sanny felt dryness in her mouth. She looked at the old Witch with compassion.

'Professor Mcgonagall.' she said solemnly. 'If you wish to travel to Hogwarts and punish Headmaster Snape for all his disgusting deeds, then I will go with you.'

Aiden widened his eyes on the girl.

'Sanny! Do you even realize how dangerous it would be?!'

'Yes, and I want to do it anyway.' she answered firmly. 'Did you hear Professor Mcgonagall? She has been waiting twenty long years for her revenge. She wants to get the greasy bat and I'm with her! What about you? You told me like a hundred times that you'd love to see Snape cursed!'

'Of course I'd love to see him cursed!' Aiden replied. 'But Professor Mcgonagall is an outlaw, an escapee... Soon, there will be a reward for her head... She needs to get to the safe place as soon as possible! Please, Professor...'

'Mr Longbottom.' the old Witch said firmly. 'Maybe I am old, but remember that I am also quite powerful. Did your Father used to tell you any War stories? Did he mention what of a pain in the neck I used to be for the Death Eaters at Hogwarts back then?'

'Of course he told me a lot, Professor... He always expressed a great deal of respect for you, and he acknowledges your incredible skills as a Witch...but...' Aiden tried to explain.

'Believe me, that your Father's respect is well-deserved. You don't have to worry about me.'

Aiden looked at her hesitantly.

'Mr Longbottom, it should be the other way around. I should be the one to protect you, as a grown-up. I have never thought I will live up to the times when the children will have to rescue adults. I see that, while I was imprisoned, the Wizarding Word have abided an extraordinary young generation.' Mcgonagall said with a hint of pride in her voice.

'Well... I guess we kinda are a special generation.' Aiden admitted, blushing- he was visibly flattered by the old Witch's words.

'Come on, Aiden, we head back to Hogwarts.' Sanny smiled, seeing that Mcgonagall has broken the boy's resistance.

The elderly Witch offered both students her hands.

'I will side-along apparate you. Once we are in the castle, stay close, put your heads down and watch out for yourselves. I will give you a short demonstration lesson on dealing with the Death Eaters.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They apparated directly in the middle of the Headmaster's office with a loud "crack". Unlike Aiden, Sanny has never suffered any side-effects of Side-Along Apparition; the poor boy always got dizzy and nauseous.

Sanny looked around; the office was dark and empty, not surprisingly considering a late night hour. However, the office was connected to a small bedroom, where Snape slept; hearing the loud noise of Apparition, the Headmaster was probably already awake.

'Miss Exile.' Mcgonagall whispered.

Sanctimonia looked up at her.

'I will have to ask you a big favor.' the old Witch said in an apologetic voice. 'I need to borrow your wand.'

Sanny's eyes widened, she forgot that Mcgonagall's wand must have been taken away from her on the day of her imprisonment.

'Certainly.' the girl answered without hesitation, and handed her wand over to the elderly woman.

As soon as Mcgonagall took the wand from Sanny, the oak door leading to Snape's bedroom opened vigorously. Said greasy-haired Headmaster stood in front of them in his usual, plain black cloak.

"_Merlin, does he even sleep in that_?" Sanny thought. "_That's disgusting_."

As soon as Snape saw Mcgonagall standing in the middle of his office, his grayish face became even paler than usual.

The boundless shock in his dark eyes. That was an image which Sanny considered the most satisfying image she's seen in her entire life.

Before Snape had a chance to shake his shock, the elderly Witch lifted Sanny's wand, aiming at him.

'SECTARIUS!' she yelled.

Within a split second, Snape drew his wand and shielded himself from the Cutting Curse.

He sent a series of non-verbal curses towards Macgonagall.

'PROTEGO!' the Witch yelled, conjuring a shield. 'LONGBOTTOM, EXILE, GET DOWN!'

Sanny dropped on the floor, dragging Aiden by the hand and forcing him to lay down by her side. Hexes and cursed were flying above their heads, cutting the air with "woosh" sounds.

'STUPEFY! DEPULSO! PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!' Mcgonagall yelled, none of her spells hitting the target. Snape's shields were far too powerful for any of her hexes to make it through.

Sanctimonia felt an unpleasant cramp inside her stomach. What if Mcgonagall lose the duel?

What will Snape do to the old Witch? Curse her, send off to Azkaban, or maybe kill her on the place?

What is he going to do with Sanny and Aiden, who released Mcgonagall from her imprisonment and helped her to get into Hogwarts?

The worst thing was that Sanny could do nothing, but lay down and listen to the laundry list of incantations yelled by Mcgonagall and noises of spells flying upon her head. Without her wand, the girl could not help Mcgonagall in any way, and Aiden laying next to her was so terrified, that he started sobbing.

'I...I told you...that it w-was the w-worst idea ever!' the boy cried, swallowing his tears.

'Aiden...' Sanctimonia didn't know how to response. She was already aware how bad the idea had turned out to be.

'SECTUSEMBRA!' Snape yelled. It was the first verbal curse he used during the duel. Sanny gasped; she knew that spell. It was one of the nastiest and Darkest curses out there.

Snape aimed at Mcgonagall's chest and if the spell had hit its target, the Witch wouldn't have survived. Fortunately, she managed to dodge, stepping aside to the left; nevertheless, the curse hit her left arm.

Sanctimonia squeaked, as she saw a horrible stream of blood flowing from the old Witch's arm. The flesh was cut unbelievably deeply; the girl caught a glimpse of a white, exposed bone.

Snape lifted his wand, preparing to disarm the wounded, unprotected Witch - however, a "crack" of Apparition could be heard and Mcgonagall was gone.

The Headmaster took a few steps forward, approaching two students lying on the ground. A disbelief was still painted on his pale face.

Within a second, before Snape could even react, Sanny picked herself up from the floor. She grabbed Aiden's hand, lifting him up from the ground, and she sprinted towards the door, dragging the boy along. They reached the exit and ran out, slamming the door behind them.


	6. The Worst Kind Of Pain I've Known

POV: Nordi Exile

_Dark Warrior,_

_I assume you have already been owled by Headmaster Snape during the night. I have been informed about everything only in the morning, about half an hour ago. I decided to write to you as soon as I stepped out of the Headmaster's office._

_Nordi, I hate to admit that, but the situation is really severe._

_Our daughter has left the school grounds along with the Longbottom boy in the night. They went to Inner Hebrides, to the place where Minerva Mcgonagall used to live under her house arrest. It was probably Sanctimonia who side-along apparated the young Longbottom, because, according to Snape, the boy was unable of Apparition._

_They have released Mcgonagall from her imprisonment, vanishing the Blood Wards you had created twenty years ago. Again, it was most likely Sanctimonia who performed the Ritual to put the wards down._

_After Mcgonagall's release, she and the children apparated inside of the Headmaster's office. Mcgonagall attempted to curse the Headmaster, and a short fight broke out. The old Witch has been injured and she disapparated to an unknown location. _

_Nordi, Mcgonagall had Sanctimonia's wand. Our daughter must have given it to her. Headmaster Snape has came to such a conclusion, seeing Sanny and the Longbottom boy running away from his office after the duel. Sanctimonia didn't even attempt to use any Magic._

_The worst part of this situation is that Sanctimonia and young Longbottom, as well as Mcgonagall, are currently nowhere to be found._

_Alecto and Amycus are at the moment turning the school upside down to find our daughter and the boy, although, we are not even sure if they are still inside of the castle._

_If it comes to Mcgonagall running free, it is... you are already aware, Nordi, it is a disaster._

_This Witch used to be one of the most prominent Order's members, one of the most powerful enemies of our Lord, and a right hand of Dumbledore. I do not even have to explain you how much damage she is likely to make, while not imprisoned. Headmaster is afraid, that she might even try to resurrect the Order of the Phoenix._

_Nordi, I stepped out of Snape's office swallowing my tears. I still cannot believe what our daughter has done. I wish it was only a nightmare. Sanctimonia 's actions can be a prelude to a Third Wizarding War. That is a fact which Headmaster pointed out for me, and it shook me to the core. It is so hard to acknowledge. Dark Warrior, at which point have we made a mistake...?_

_I am sure that at the moment you are reading my letter, everybody in the Headquarters are already alarmed and on their feet, suspending all their activities in order to find Mcgonagall. This issue has a priority and I do not doubt that you will be involved in the search. However, I will ask you to find a minute to write me back- a short message will suffice. I want to know what is going on in the HQ and what actions are you going to take._

_Always yours,_

_Dark Princess, Luna Lovegood Exile_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Nordi was shaking like a leaf and drenching in sweat, making his way to the Dark Lord's office.

For the first time in his entire life, he felt like a disgrace. He felt that he has really failed.

The fact that his own daughter - his little, bright Purity - committed such a severe crime, tore his heart apart.

Sanctimonia's actions brought a serious danger to the New Wizarding World. Another war could start because of what she did.

That was too much for him to embrace with his mind. A mixture of disappointment, grief and self-hatred boiled in his stomach, eating him alive from inside.

Bellatrix was waiting for him outside of their Lord's office. Her face was unhealthily pale.

'Is he very enraged?' Nordi whispered.

Bella's lips trembled.

'Yes.' she answered silently.

Nordi clenched his teeth and took a step towards the door.

'Nordi-boy,' Bella whispered. 'You can wait a little bit, until his anger diminishes...'

'No.' Nordi answered firmly. 'I am Sanctimonia's Father, and it is a Father's duty to take a responsibility for their child's actions. I will face Dark Lord here and now.'

Bella looked at him with compassion.

'This will be a first time for me.' he added quietly.

Bella's eyes twinkled with understand. It was a first time Nordi was going to be cursed by the Dark Lord.

Marked at twelve years of age, for twenty-one years of service, Nordi has never failed any mission, nor has he done anything to displease his Lord. Along with Bellatrix, he was one of his most loyal and most faithful servants, on a borderline of fanaticism. For the first time has he disappointed his Lord- and it was a severe disappointment. Nordi's own child, his flesh and bones, successfully attempted to make a huge damage within the new order the Dark Lord had created.

'I'll be waiting here.' Bella whispered.

Nordi nodded and turned the doorknob.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Standing upright with his eyes closed, Nordi anticipated the Cruciatus Curse to be lifted after the usual time of a punishment - one minute.

However, the Dark Lord kept the curse much, much longer.

Sweating like crazy, Nordi bit his lower lip until he felt a stream of blood on his chin.

The Dark Lord has lifted the Cruciatus and Nordi's muscles relaxed. He opened his eyes and, for a split second, met Voldemort's bright crimson ones.

'Crucio.' the Dark Lord whispered. Agonizing pain jolted through Nordi's body again, this time more intensively. He felt all of his muscles burning like fire, all of his nerves blasting apart. The feeling was indescribable. Much different from Dumbledore's tortures he had to endure as a kid, but not less intensive.

Nordi fell on his knees when his legs became too shaky to hold him upright. He drowned in the ocean of pain.

He almost wished his Lord didn't lift the curse. The punishment of physical pain helped him to handle the mental pain caused by Sanctimonia. Cruciatus helped him to cope with the feeling of being a disgrace, a failure to his Lord and to his daughter.

It helped to soothe his inner suffering.

The Dark Lord made a break again, and spoke to Nordi:

'You know what is the most disappointing, Exile?' he asked. 'That you were the youngest person to be Marked, that you served me so well for over twenty years. And yet, you have to answer for your own daughter - you have to take a responsibility for her openly associating with the enemies, openly standing against me, and taking an action that could lead to our doom.'

'My Lord...' Nordi whispered. He had no strength to describe his feelings, so he lifted his head, meeting Voldemort's crimson eyes. Instead of explaining, he desperately let his Lord inside of his mind, allowing him to see everything for himself.

Bright crimson eyes twinkled with understand. The Dark Lord aimed his wand again at the young man.

'Crucio!' he hissed, this time putting more emphasis on the curse.

Nordi writhed on the ground. It was the most intensive of the three curses he has been subjected to. Pain burned his body down, but, simultaneously, it purified his mind, letting him handle his inner emotions of self-hatred and grief.

The Dark Lord didn't lift it for a very, very long time. How long does it take to go insane? Nordi would gladly go to the borderline, but not further.

After a few more minutes, within a split-second, the pain vanished.

Nordi found himself lying on the ground in a small pool of his own sweat.

'Feeling better, Exile?' the Dark Lord muttered.

'Yes, my Lord. Thank you, my Lord.' Nordi whispered.

'I have already sent a few Squads to a hunt for Mcgonagall.' Voldemort said. 'Obviously I expect you to contribute to this task.'

'Yes, my Lord. Of course.'

Nordi intended to do anything to find the old hag; after all, it was his responsibility.

'I also must ask you, what are you planning to do about... the daughter of yours.' the Dark Lord said, uttering the last three words with a clear hostility.

'I intend to find her and bring home immedietly, my Lord.' Nordi asked without hesitation. 'I will lock her up with her Grandparents as her guards. Then, I will go and look for the old hag.'

'Do you have any idea where the girl might be hiding?' Voldemort asked. 'As far as I know, the Carrows and Severus are looking for her and for the Longbottom boy since early morning. She might as well be outside of the school grounds.'

'With all due respect, my Lord, but I do not think she has left the Hogwarts grounds. Sanctimonia is not a natural. She is not able to do much without her wand, which she handed over to the old hag. I have a feeling that she is hiding within the castle, therefore, it will be the first place I'm going to check.' Nordi answered.

'I expect you to find Sanctimonia before the nightfall.' the Dark Lord said firmly. 'Then, you will get yourself occupied with the search for Mcgonagall. I want the old hag captured as soon as possible.'

'Yes, my Lord. Uhm... If I may, my Lord... My current Squad consists mostly of rookies, and for that assingment, I'd like to take someone more experienced in combat. If you permit...'

Voldemort lifted his thin, pale hand.

'I assume you are thinking about Bellatrix, and yes, you may take her. However, Exile, keep in mind that I expect fast results.'

'Of course, my Lord. Thank you.'

'You are dismissed.'

Nordi bowed and turned around, making his way outside. His muscles were stiff from an intensive Cruciatus workout.

Bella has been waiting for him at the door, just like she had promised. As soon as he found himself outside, she shot him a worried look.

Without any explanations, Nordi stretched his hand out to her.

'Grab my hand, Bella. We are going to Hogwarts.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Headmaster Snape didn't even look surprised, when he saw Bellatrix and Nordi apparating in the middle of his office.

He stood up from his chair.

'Exile, the Carrows are already looking...' he stopped mid-sentence and raised his eyebrows, apparently noticing Nordi's muscle stiffness and small spasms jolting through his body.

'Exile, were you cursed?' he asked silently.

'Obviously, he was.' Bella snarled. 'He wouldn't have been, if you had a better control over your students! So much of a Headmaster you are.'

'No, Bella!' Nordi hissed. 'There is not even an ounce of Headmaster guilt in this situation. Sanctimonia is my daughter and I am responsible for her, not Professor Snape.'

Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

'Do you two need any help...?' Snape asked.

'No, sir, it's okay. I have an idea about where Sanctimonia may be hiding, I only hope that I'm not wrong.' Nordi answered and pulled Bella's hand towards the door. 'Come on.'

As soon as they found themselves in the corridor, Nordi spotted a skinny boy in Hogwarts school robes, standing in front of the Gargoyle statue. The boy had messy back hair ad striking, bright green eyes. He seemed to be waiting for someone.

'Err... Lady Black? Commander Exile?' the boy asked shyly.

Nordi stopped and looked at the boy, raising his eyebrows.

'Yes. And you are...?'

'Albus Ronald Potter.' the boy introduced himself and flushed. 'But I'm nothing like my family, I actually am disowned. I hate my given name, too.' he added quickly. ' Maybe you've heard about me from Scorpious, Commander Exile. Scorpious... is my best friend.'

Nordi nodded. Not only Scorpious, but also Luna have mentioned this boy in their letters. He was said to be a black sheep of the Potter family. He apparently rejected the alliegances and values of his family, and disassociated himself from all of his relatives.

'I've heard a lot of you, boy. I've heard you've made a very brave decision. Don't worry about being disowned; we will take care of you. And you can fashion yourself a new first name, too. By the Dark Lord, I would gladly curse your Father into oblivion for coming up with such a first name for his child alone.' Nordi said sincerely.

The boy's emerald eyes lit up.

'I...I'm ...so...' he stuttered.

_"By the Dark Lord, what wrong did I say? Why is he so touched?" _Exile thought in confusion.

'Nordi-boy, we have an assignment.' Bella reminded him harshly. 'You don't want to enrage the Dark Lord even more, do you?'

'Oh... yes, right. We must go. Potter, I'll contact you later.' Nordi said.

'Wait!' Albus said, lifting his head. 'Maybe I can help you. I know what they did, Sanctimonia and Aiden. I think I know where they are hiding. However, I don't know how to get inside there.'

'What is your guess, Potter?' Nordi asked.

'The Room of Requirement. I saw many times their group disappearing inside it. They were holding illegal meetings in this room. You know that my... Father, and Aiden's Father, run an underground illegal organization. I suppose that Aiden and Sanny received the assingment to release this old Witch from them.'

Nordi and Bella exchanged meaningful looks. They have suspected that Sanctimonia and her friend weren't acting on their own impulse yesterday. Nordi and Bella knew, that the children must have had some backup, and a source of information, like for instance the old hag's home address. Therefore, the Death Eaters were absolutely certain about existence of some resistance group outside which played a role of the kids' higher-ups.

Of couse, Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter were highly suspected.

Nevertheless, only now Bella and Nordi had a credible proof of their assumptions. All thanks to Albus Ronald Potter.

'Potter, you've just provided us with some very important information.' Nordi said with acknowledgement. 'Thank you in the name of the Death Eaters and the New Wizarding World. I promise that when this mess with Mcgonagall is over, the Headquarters will take care of you. By then, stay safe and don't expose yourself to your siblings.'

'Stay close to Scorpious and Delphi, sweetheart, they will keep you safe.' Bella added.

The boy looked like he was about to burst in tears.

Nordi and Bella had to leave him for now. They made their way to the seventh floor in a fast-pace.

'I have assumed that the Room of Requirement is their hideout.' Nordi said, almost running through the corridor. 'With the young Potter's testimony, we have a certainty. Listen, Bella, your "Bombarda" is way stronger than mine. You will blast the wall apart. Only please, be careful not to blow the entire castle up.'

Bella grinned.

'I'll do my best.'

They reached the end of the seventh floor's left corridor. Bella pulled her wand out and aimed it at the wall.

'BOMBARDA MAXIMA!'

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POV: Sanctimonia Exile

'BOMBARDA MAXIMA!'

Sanny budged and cowered, seeing a humongous explosion blasting the wall apart.

She reached for the wand she borrowed from Aiden.

'Stand behind me!' she yelled at the young Longbottom, who quickly picked himself up from the floor and hid behind Sanctimonia. The girl was much better at spells than Aiden, so they decided that she will wield the boy's wand after Professor Mcgonagall took hers.

Sanny had considered the Room of Requirement to be a perfect, indestructible shelter.

Now, the entire north wall was turned into debris.

She swallowed and lifted the wand up, waiting for the ashes to settle down and reveal the intruder.

'EXPELIARMUS!'

Aiden's wand fell from her hand and flew across the room. A person in leather Death Eater's robes caught it mid-air.

She clenched her teeth and growled, seeing her loathsome Father.

Of course, accompanied by his soulmate, Godmother Bellatrix.

Father walked slowly towards her and Aiden. Sanny shot him a hostile look; she expected him to be furious, but, instead, she saw disappointment and grief on his face. The girl only smirked; she was indeed a disappointing daughter, just like he was a disappointing Father.

Sanctimonia also noticed her Father walking with an effort; his muscles seemed to be tense and stiff, additionally, light spasms jolted through his body once in a while. Sanny knew what did that mean. She saw often enough Death Eaters who failed their missions or disappointed their Master, stepping outside of the Dark Lord's office. They were always stiff and shaky; an indicator of a long session under the Cruciatus Curse.

Apparently, her Father has been cursed because of her actions from the day before. However, she couldn't even bring herself to feel sorry for him. After all, he chose himself to serve his Lord. Making this decision, he must have been aware of a possibility of being cursed.

Sanny was sure that her father didn't mind that. Hell, he probably even enjoyed it. She was not going to regret him.

'I'm taking you home.' Nordi whispered, as he stood in front of his daughter.

Disappointment. There was nothing but disappointment in his voice.

Sanctimonia had no intention on going anywhere with the old sod and the crazy Witch. However, she decided to pretend to obey. She allowed her Father to take her by the neck- rather gently- and lead her outside, while Bella took Aiden and followed them.

The girl turned her head slightly to make an eye-contact with Aid. The boy looked horrified. She winked to him and made a slight gesture towards the door.

Sanny did her best to make her and Father's pace equal with Aiden's and Bella's. She was gradually slowing down, until they walked in a parallel.

Being in one line with the boy and only a foot or two away from him, she risked it all.

She jumped on Aiden's back, knocking him down to the ground. They both collapsed painfully. Embracing the boy tightly, Sanny disapparated along with him.

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POV: Nordi Exile

'NOOOO!' Nordi yelled, kneeling on the ground, on the spot where his daughter stood a splint second before.

'We have no luck today, Nordi-boy.' Bella muttered. 'Any idea where those brats could have gone?'

'No idea at all.' Nordi whispered.

Bella put a hand on his shoulder.

He didn't mean to burst into tears. The last meltdown like this he had at sixteen years of age, when he found out about the identity of his parents.

It didn't befit a grown man - yet alone a Death Eater - to show his emotions like that.

However, the overwhelming helplessness he felt was comparable to an encounter with a Dementor. Nordi's world has been shattered, and the shatterpoint's name was Sanctimonia Bellatrix Exile.

Muscle spasms caused by tortures mixed themselves with spasms of uncontrolled sobs, jolting through the man's body, under Bella's protective arm.

'W-where did I go wrong, Bella? Why am I such a disgrace as a Father?' he wept.

'You are not a disgrace, Nordi-boy.' Bella answered softly.

'Just...why? Why did she turn up like this? She was growing us in the Headquarters surrounded by us. Us, Bella, _his _most loyal, most faithful...'

'This is exactly the reason.' Bella whispered. 'She rebels against all the authorities she has been subjected to, and against all the values her authorities believe in. This is not so uncommon amongst kids, Nordi-boy, the problem is that Sanctimonia... just took an adolescent rebellion up a few notches.'

'Rather took it to a whole another level.' Nordi muttered. 'And the fault is mine.'

'It's not your fault. You didn't make any mistake raising her. Things like this... just happen, that's all.' Bella went on, stroking his sweaty hair

'I have no idea what to do now, Bella.'

'Well, you should calm down, put yourself together, and let me help you looking for your daughter.'

'Just... where could she have gone?' Exile whispered.

'I think there is one person who can tell us.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A couple of minutes later, Nordi sat down in Snape's office, looking once more into striking emerald eyes of Albus Potter.

'I... I'm... trying...Commander, I want to t-tell you, but I c-can't!'

The boy had tears in his eyes, he was sweating and stuttering.

For a person from outside, it could have looked like if Nordi had cursed the boy. However, it was not the case; Albus really wished to tell Exile the location of his Father's hideout. He wished to disclose this information, but for some reason - he was unable to.

Each time the boy tried to utter the name of this place, Nordi could hear growling in his throat. Albus had no idea what is going on; he was shaking in panic.

Nordi lifted his eyes in surprise on Severus and Bella, who stood by his side.

'What is that all about?' he asked in confusion.

'Fidelius Charm.' Snape explained. 'The boy wants to tell us the address, but he cannot, as he is no Secret Keeper of the location.'

'Oh.' Nordi muttered with understand. 'I didn't anticipate their hideout to be under Fidelius.'

'DAMN IT!' Albus yelled, clenching his fists and squeezing his eyes. 'I want to tell you so badly, but I... I just can't!'

'It's okay, Potter, it's not your fault.' Nordi said softly. 'If the place is kept under Fidelius, nobody can utter its location, unless he's a Secret Keeper.'

'Maybe the boy tries to write it down?' Bella asked with a hope in her voice.

'No point. He will be unable to write, just as he is unable to tell.' Snape replied.

'Headmaster.' Nordi said, lifting his head up. 'A Secret Keeper can write the address down, and pass the piece of parchment on to non- Secret Keepers to inform them about the location. Am I correct?'

'Yes.' Snape answered slowly, confused about Nordi's point.

'Right!' Albus exclaimed suddenly. 'Aiden, Sanny and their bunch have been exchanging correspondence with my Father and the old Longbottom. I've heard they were using Sanny's owl, because- unlike most students' mail- her mail wasn't monitored. I have once overheard a conversation, which indicated that they had "finally received the location". I'm positive they got the location by mail from the old Longbottom!'

Nordi clapped his hands.

'Brilliant, Potter! I knew they must have had obtained the location some way.'

'Nordi-boy, do you believe your daughter has kept this letter?' Bella asked.

'Such a letter would be too valuable to get rid of. The name of the location cannot be uttered, so a sheet with the address written down by the Secret Keeper is usually kept like a treasure; as the only option to pass the adress on to others. I'm positive she kept it hidden, probably amongst her other private correspondence.' Nordi explained and turned his eyes towards Snape.

'Err... Headmaster... Can I get a permission to go inside of the girls' Dorms?' he asked awkwardly.

Snape only rolled his eyes.


	7. The Raid of Albus Potter

POV: Sanctimonia Exile

Sanny anticipated the "Longbottom Manor" to be a place comparable with the Death Eaters' Headquarters she grew up in. However, the word "Manor" was in this case an overstatement.

There was nothing left from the Manor itself. Aiden explained her, that this place once used to be a fairly large Manor typical to old Pure-Blooded families. However, the building has been turned into debris during Aiden's great-Grandfather's times.

Everything what was left was a very well-developed system of dungeons, rearranged to be a military-style bunker. It was large enough to comfortably accommodate a couple of families. It was a perfect place for the new Order of the Phoenix to hold its Headquarters.

Hannah Abbot Longbottom, Aiden's Mother- a middle-aged fair-haired Witch- placed a cup of hot tea in front of Sanny. The dining room in the basement wasn't very spacious, but felt really cozy.

The girl sat at the round table quietly, listening to Aiden comprehensively reporting the evens of the past two days to his Father.

Mr Longbottom had a chubby face and dark hair like his son, he was also very tall and broad-shouldered, but at the same time very gentle. He wasn't anything like Sanctimonia's Father.

Mrs Abbot Longbottom was very kind towards Sanny from the very second she arrived in the hideout with Aiden a couple of hours before. She was so kind, despite of the fact she must have been aware of the girl's background.

Aiden was still speaking passionately, when two another grown-ups stepped inside of the room.

Sanctimonia sighed with a relief, seeing Professor Mcgonagall, safe and intact. It turned out, just like the two students assumed, that the elderly Witch dissaparated directly to the hideout from Snape's office. Mcgonagall's shattered left arm has already been healed, although, she still had to keep it on a sling.

The other adult who accompanied Mcgonagall was a raven-haired, rather short man with round glasses. Sanctimonia recognized him as James' , Lily's and Albus' Father.

The man approached Sanny and stretched his hand out to her.

'Sanctimonia Exile? I've heard a ton of good stuff about you from Lily and Aiden. I'm Harry Potter, Lily's and James' Dad, pleased to meet you.'

Sanny blushed. She didn't expect such a nice reception from the Order of the Phoenix's side.

Shaking Harry Potter's hand, she looked at him apprehensively.

'Mr Potter, I'm sure you've met my Father...' she muttered with embarrassment.

'I did, but it doesn't matter.' Potter reassured her. 'You don't choose a family you were born into. If you want to stand by our side, then we will welcome you with open arms. Especially that you are the one responsible for releasing Professor Mcgonagall here, from her imprisonment. You have proven yourself worthy.'

Sanny felt pleasant warmth inside. She smiled to Potter.

'I want to stand by your side. I hate my Father and everything he does. If your resistance group want to overthrow the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord, then I am willing to help you.'

Harry Potter smiled to the Mcgonagall.

'Looks like this young lady is a real black sheep in the Exile family, obviously, in a positive way. Unfortunately, the Potters has been unblessed with a black sheep as well; unlike Sanctimonia- in a negative way. I guess such exceptions, whether good or bad, occur in every single family.'

Sanny looked at the man curiously.

'Sir, are you talking about your middle son, Albus?' she asked.

'Yes, I'm talking about Albus, but he is not my son anymore. I have disowned him months ago.' Potter explained.

Sanny, against herself, felt an ice-cold cramp in her stomach.

'Disowned...?' she muttered.

'Albus switched sides.' Potter replied shortly. 'He started associating himself with the wrong crowd, the Death Eaters faculty and the Death Eaters spawns, such as this disgusting little Malfoy. Albus is a disgrace to the Potter's name. '

Sanny nodded hesitantly. She understood Potter's reasoning and despised his son Albus, but disowning an own child still felt... wrong.

"I'm very lucky, that the institution of Gringotts kept its neutrality.' Potter went on. 'Goblins still are in charge of arranging formal family issues. I've owled the Goblins last month and requested to erase my family name from all of the Albus' records and official documents.'

Sanctimonia was unsure how to react. It was a natural thing for Albus' Father to do, but it was still so... rough. Sanny hated her pathetic excuse for a Father wholeheartedly, and she would do anything to oppose him.

However, she wasn't sure what her reaction would be, if Nordi Exile decided to disown her.

BANG!

Everyone inside of the room jumped off their seats and lifted their heads up, having heard an explosion on the ground level. The ceiling of the basement's room trembled.

'What the bloody hell...?!' Potter exclaimed, reaching for his wand.

BANG! Another explosion. The bunker seemed to be under attack from above.

'Neville!' Potter yelled. Mr Longbottom drew his wand and pointed it at the ceiling.

BANG!

Somebody clearly was making his way to the pill-box, blasting the ground above it apart with explosions.

The room was shaking more and more severely. The ceiling was about to fall down.

'What is going on?!' Mcgonagall asked, squeezing Sanny's wand in her fingers.

'...One more time, Bella. We are almost there.'

Sanny flinched and squeaked, having recognized her Father's loathsome voice.

'Neville! This place is under Fidelius, isn't it?!' Potter yelled in disbelief.

'Yes, it is!' Neville answered anxiously. 'Aiden! Are you sure nobody has followed the two of you!?'

'Yes, Father, I'm sure!' Aiden cried with tears in his eyes. 'It's impossible! How can it be possible, Sanny?!'

Sanctimonia looked up with blank eyes.

'Albus...' she whispered.

'BOMBARDA MAXIMA!'

The ceiling blasted apart, and huge parts of debris, concrete and shattered soil fell down on their heads.

Sanny felt being knocked down to the ground by Mcgonagall. The older Witch laid down next to her and protected the girl's head with her arm.

Three individuals descended down to the floor, landing safely on bended knees. Sanctimonia lifted her eyes slightly, looking through the dust.

Just like she had assumed, Father, Bellatrix and Albus Potter were standing in front of them. Harry Potter picked himself up from the ground immedietly.

'YOU...!' he yelled at Albus.

'Hello, Father.' the emerald-eyed boy said calmly. 'Oh, forgive me. I forgot we are not family anymore.'

'Stay close to me, Albus.' Sanny's Father said, mowing the boy gently between himself and Bella.

'WHAT THE...?' Harry growled, turning crimson on his face. 'STUPEFY!' he yelled, aiming his wand at Nordi.

Father created a hemisphere shield around himself, Bella and Albus.

'Calm down, Potter!' the Death Eater snarled. 'I'm here to take my daughter home.'

'And I'm not going anywhere!' Sanny squeaked from the floor.

'Yes, you are. And our honorable Professor Mcgonagall goes as well.' Father said calmly.

Sanny lifted one eye on the elderly Witch who was still shielding her. Mcgonagall's face became pale like a ghost from outrage; her lips clenched making a thin line. The girl watched her lifting the wand at her Father.

'FIENDFYRE!' she yelled.

Sanny gasped; Mcgonagall has just used her Father's trademark spell. Her Cursed Flames weren't nearly as impressive as his; they consisted of merely two serpent-like fire threads, which started circulating around the room.

Sanny watched her Father, under his protective shield, looking at the elderly Witch in shock. However, his facial expression quickly changed into amusement.

'Well, Professor, I feel young again.' he said calmly, disregarding Cursed Flames writhing like snakes upon his head. 'This is exactly like during the Battle of Hogwarts.'

Bellatrix giggled, her famous insane laugh was driving Sanny crazy.

'She thinks she can turn our own weapon against us, Nordi-boy, how cute!' Bella said.

'Bella, I will ask you to shield Albus and yourself for a while.' Father said and lifted his protective hemisphere.

Sanctimonia watched in a surprise, as Nordi stretched his hand out towards the Cursed Flames. For a split second, the girl was sure that the fire is going to burn his arm into ashes.

However, when she turned her eyes towards Mcgonagall again, the old Witch's face expressed pure shock and disbelief. Sanny comprehended: she had no more control over her Flames. Father has just overtaken them from her.

The girl saw the fire serpents encircling Nordi obediently, bending to his will. Mr Longbottom and Mr Potter started tossing curses and hexes at him, none of which managed to hit the target.

Sanny watched helplessly the Cursed Flames making familiar, tight rings around Longbottom, Potter, Hannah and Mcgonagall, immobilizing them. Father always used the same method: he prevented his prays from making any sudden moves, surrounding their bodies with burning fire.

'Quite a bunch of you.' Nordi said, looking around and frowning. Sanctimonia shot him a hateful look and made sure he noticed it.

'Nordi-boy, before you put the Flames down, we will tie them up.' Bella said firmly. 'Are you ready to help me... Albus? By the Dark Lord, we really must figure out a new first name for you.'

'I will help.' Albus answered solemnly and pulled his wand out.

'DON'T YOU EVEN DARE, ALBUS POTTER!' Harry yelled, when his son approached him with an outstretched wand.

'Excuse me, Father, did I mishear?' Albus asked, smiling lightly. 'I was positive that you had disowned me. INCANCEROUS!'

The boy immobilized Mr Potter's body, binding his wrists and toes with Magical ties.

'Nice one, Albus!' Nordi yelled to the boy. Albus grinned, but Sanny had enough. She made an attempt to reach for her wand, which laid next to Mcgonagall underneath a stream of fire.

'INCANCEROUS!' Albus yelled again, and the girl squeaked, feeling her body being tied up painfully.

'YOU SON OF A BITCH!' Sanny cried towards the boy. 'YOU DEATH EATERS' PAWN! YOU...'

'SILENCIO!' Albus yelled. A blue light flashed, and Sanctimonia found herself unable to utter a word.

Tied up and gagged, Sanny could do nothing but watch Bella and Albus casting immobilizing spells at everybody one-by-one. Only when everyone in the room was tied-up tightly, Father lifted the Cursed Flames.

'I'm really sorry, but the bunch of you-' Nordi said almost lazily, turning his head towards Aiden's parents, Mr Potter and Professor Mcgonagall '-is going straight to Azkaban tonight.'

Harry Potter writhed in his ties like an eel.

'LEAVE ALBUS ALONE, EXILE, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!' he cried. 'ALBUS, DON'T FOLLOW THIS MAN! ALBUS...! HELP US!'

Nordi looked down at Mr Potter and frowned.

'You 're unbelievable, Potter.' he said quietly. 'Am I confusing something, or have you disowned your son a couple of months ago?'

Harry looked at Nordi hatefully.

'You are the one who should leave this boy alone. Believe me, I'll make sure he doesn't have to watch your face ever again.' the Death Eater added.

Albus came forward to Nordi, and stood by his side.

'I'm going with you, Commander Exile.' he said shortly.

Nordi put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Why? Why did this simple gesture not only enrage Sanctimonia, but also made her heart sink...?

'Congratulations, Albus, you've just taken part in your first Raid. Even I was older than you, when Bella took me on a Raid for the first time.'

Sanny screwed up her eyes and regretted that she couldn't do the same with her years. She didn't want to listen.

'Thank you, Commander.' Albus answered.

'Albus...' Harry Potter said in a weak voice.

'Sorry, Father. This is a farewell.' the boy said firmly.

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POV: Luna Lovegood-Exile

_Dear Dark Princess,_

_I'm really sorry I didn't manage to drop by and see you when I was at Hogwarts with Bella this afternoon. As you surely understand, our priority was to find Sanctimonia and Mcgonagall. We received clear orders to act quickly, therefore, there was no time to meet and speak with you. I'd like to make up for this to you, writing this letter._

_You have obviously already heard about the events of today, so I'm not going to describe everything to you for the second time. I just want to express how relieved and happy I am. Me and Bella managed to fix all the damage our daughter had caused. What is more, not only did we capture Mcgonagall, but also Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom, who had a hideout in an underground bunker._

_All three of them, along with Longbottom's wife, have already faced Wizengamot and heard their accusations. They are going to be shipped off to Azkaban tonight._

_I took Sanctimonia to the Headquarters just after me and Bella had escorted our culprits to the Ministry. Just like you can guess, Luna, our daughter is not going back to school. She is going to be kept under home arrest. Her wand has already been taken from her, and an Anti-Apparition wristband has been applied. My Parents promised to take turns in keeping an eye on her._

_Of course, her behavior still horrifies me. All I can do with her at this point is to lock her up, and let her think things over. I am only immensely relieved, that I managed to clean up the terrible mess she had made, and managed not to displease our Lord again._

_I took care of the Potter's disowned son, Albus. He has been a great help for me and Bella. If not for him, I do not think we would be able to find the hideout so easily. He took part in the fight, too, showing not only reflex and courage, but also a very advanced spellwork for his age. I see that Scorpious' tutelage had not been in vain._

_Albus has been introduced within the Headquarters. Me and Bella offered him a place to stay, in case he didn't want to go back to Hogwarts. Albus decided to go return to school for the remainings of the term, but he is going to spend summer holidays and winter breaks with us. He asked me for a formal help to officially change his first name and surname in his records and documents. Ross is taking him to Gringotts this Saturday (Ross is better at paperwork than I am)._

_I will keep you updated with our daughter's behavior._

_Love you,_

_Your Dark Warrior, Nordi Exile_

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POV: Sanctimonia Exile

Sanny refused to come out of her room at the Headquarters for almost three months.

The only individuals she had any conversations with during this time, were house elves who bought her meals, drinks and took care of her laundry. Sanny used a small bathroom connected to her room.

Grandfather Ross and Grandmother Jo had an assingment to look after her, so they came by to her room once in a while once in a while. She refused to utter even one word towards the old people.

Her pathetic excuse for a Father made countless attempts to speak with her during those months. Sanny only turned her head back and clenched her teeth seeing him.

Once when Father came to try to start a conversation again, he made a mistake of bringing Bellatrix along. That time, Sanny got so furious with both of them, that she performed a strongest kind of accidental Magic, and threw the crystal chandelier off the ceiling. Nordi had to immedietly conjure a shield, to prevent the heavy object from smashing on his and Bella's heads.

Sanny spent her entire days lying on her king-sized bed. He couldn't be bothered to read or study, even though she knew that she was going to fall behind with school after such a long absence.

She felt horrible. Not only did she fail her first assingment for the Order of the Phoenix, but she made the situation even worse than it had been before. Now, not only professor Mcgonagall, but also Harry Potter and Aiden's parents were imprisoned in Azkaban. Of course, she realized that it was not entirely her fault, but she didn't even had anybody to comfort her by her side. She missed her friends from the resistance group terribly. She missed Aiden, Lily, Rose, and even James, who was a prat- but at least, he was on their side.

She tried to figure out a way to sneak out to the owlery behind her Grandparent's backs, and send a letter to Aiden. However, that was easier said than done- the girl has been watched day and night. She theoretically was allowed to leave her room and walk around the Manor - but she always had to be accompanied. Of course, the nasty wristband preventing her from Apparition was permanently clung to her skin.

Knock, knock.

Damn it. The pathetic old man - again.

Nordi half-opened the door and peeped inside the room.

'Sanny...?' he said gently. 'Dobby complains that you don't eat enough.'

Sanny sat turned back to her Father- she had no intention looking at him.

'I'm not hungry.' she snarled.

'You will get sick if you keep on lying in bed whole days, and not even eating your meals.' Nordi said quietly.

'Let me go back to school then!' Sanctimonia snapped, turning her head towards him.

Father sighed.

'You know it is not possible. You are aware of what have you done.' he said sadly.

The girl growled and hit her face in a pillow.

'Leave me alone, then!' she cried. 'Go and grovel by your Lord's feet, and let Bellatrix accompany you, and don't come here to see me ever again!'

Nordi opened his mouth to reply, but he hesitated and closed it back, retreating from his daughter's room.

After that encounter, Sanny had about two hours of peace and silence, which she sacrificed for writing a letter to Aiden. She had to find a way to send it; she was sure to come up with an idea sooner or later.

Just as she started addressing the envelope, somebody knocked at her door again.

'Go away, Father!' she snarled. 'What didn't you understand?!'

The door opened, but it wasn't Father who stood there.

Albus Potter, in his school robes, stepped inside the room hesitantly. Sanny rose her eyebrows.

'Albus? What are you doing here?'

The boy looked at her with his bright emerald eyes.

'Actually, it's not Albus anymore.' he said calmly. 'My name is Anguis Lucius Exile.'

The girl gasped. She felt a horrible cramp in her stomach.

'E-Exile? Does that mean that my pathetic excuse for a Father has adopted you?' she tried to make her voice sound unaffectionate, but she wasn't successful.

'No.' the boy answered simply. 'I have been disowned and abandoned by my family, additionally, my Father ordered the Goblins to erase the name Potter from all my official documents. Therefore, I have all the rights to adapt Exile as my last name, just like the children from the Merit's Orphanage where your Father used to grow up. I have also let Commander to choose my given names, because obviously I couldn't have stayed named Albus. He has picked Anguis, which means serpent, and Lucius, in the honor of Colonel Malfoy.'

'Cute names.' Sanctimonia snarled mockingly. 'My stupid Father has a talent in picking them.'

'You've asked about me being adopted.' the boy went on, disregarding the sarcastic remark. 'I don't have to be adopted. Nobody has to have a custody over me, because, as far as the Ministry is concerned, I am already considered of age.'

'Wh...? Of age? How can that be? You are merely a year older than me! How old are you exactly, twelve?' Sanny asked, narrowing her eyes.

'Thirteen this summer.' Albus -or rather, Anguis - answered. 'However, it doesn't matter, because legally I am already considered a grown-up. I don't have to have a legal guardian, and I answer in front of Wizengamot like an adult.'

'That's impossible! You are twelve!'

Anguis smiled lightly.

'Believe me, it is possible.' he answer, and slowly rolled up his left sleeve.

Sanctimonia gasped and popped her eyes in disbelief, seeing a wriggling, intensive Dark Mark on the boy's forearm.

He looked in horror into his striking green eyes.

'How could you...? You're a Potter...!' she whispered.

The boy smirked.

'No, Sanctimonia, I'm not a Potter. I'm an Exile.'


	8. Bellatrix Upon The Grave

POV: Nordi Exile

The graveyard on the hill a couple of miles away from the Malfoy Manor was a place of eternal rest for hundreds of Wizards and Witches- heroes of the last two Wars.

The hill was covered with fresh, trimmed grass, and the stone graves were kept in neat rows.

During the sunset, the graveyard was an incredible place. The grassy hill bathed in the red-golden light was beautiful.

Nordi always considered himself a wierdo for finding a graveyard "beautiful", however, he couldn't help but feel a special tenderness towards this place.

The Death Eater walked slowly through the cemetery, passing by countless gravestones. He could already see a sylphlike silhouette of a woman from afar.

He came closer. Bella was standing upon one of the graves, holding a bunch of flowers. Her black curly hair were blowing in the wind.

The gravestone said:

RUDOLPHUS LESTRANGE (1955 - 2003) _Always Faithful_

Underneath the caption, a Dark Mark had been burned within the stone.

Nordi stood beside Bella and embraced her skinny shoulders.

'How did you know that I'm here, Nordi-boy?' she asked quietly.

'A hunch.' he whispered.

'You know...' Bella said 'I sometimes hate myself for never loving him... this way.'

'I know that you didn't love him this way. But this is not a reason to hate yourself.' Nordi said softly.

'I had a feeling for him.' she went on. 'A person is not able not to develop a strong feelings towards another person, sharing with them thirteen years worth of tortures... nightmares... abuse... and despair...Azkaban, it... brings people close to each other. However, what I had felt to Rudolphus, it wasn't... love. Not exactly.'

'I know, Bella.' Nordi said gently. 'You have always loved _this way_ only one person. Only _h i m_ .'

'I sometimes wonder if Rudolph hated me for that.' Bella muttered.

'Of course he didn't.' Nordi whispered. 'For love towards our Lord? Why would he hate you for that? He, one of his most faithful and most loyal? He endured torments of Azkaban with you, _for him_. He understood you perfectly.'

Bella leaned against Nordi. He gave her a comforting hug.

'Delphi was born three years after Rudolph's death.' Bella said. 'I wonder what would he think of her.'

'He would be proud.' Nordi said without hesitations. 'We are all proud of her. Every sane person would beam with pride, having such a brilliant and cheerful daughter.'

Bella turned her heavy-lidded eyes towards the man.

'And... what about Sanctimonia?' she asked cautiously.

Nordi gave her a weak, sad smile.

'I've just talked to her. Well, _talked_ is an overstatement. She told me to leave her alone and never come to see her again. She also told me to find you, and go together with you groveling under our Lord's feet.'

Bella smirked.

'I'd have nothing against it.'

Nordi sighed.

'Seriously though, I wonder if this really is a _phase_ of hers, and if it will ever pass by.'

'We can just hope it will.' Bella answered. 'You know, Nordi-boy, in this case you should actually take her advice. Have you tried speaking with the Dark Lord about her?'

'Well... No, but I really shouldn't take his precious time with something as petty as my parenting problems.. . How lame is that? I suck as a Father, and I must ask my Lord to help with dealing with my own daughter.' Nordi muttered.

'This issue isn't petty, Nordi-boy. This girl is dangerous. She almost led the Order of the Phoenix to reborn!' Bella said firmly. 'Besides, you have already discussed with the Dark Lord some parenting issues, didn't you? He ordered you to take care of the disowned Potter boy.'

'Yes, I've received an order from him, but even if not for it, I would have taken care of Anguis anyway.' Nordi said. 'He is a brilliant kid, he is on our side, and he had nowhere to go.'

'I don't anticipate Sanctimonia to take calmly having a new older brother.' Bella muttered with amusement.

Nordi shrugged his shoulders.

'She will have to accept it at the end of the day. Unlike her, Anguis is not my flesh and blood. But he deserved to have a family and support, which he had not received from the Potters.'

Bella nodded.

'But you will not make any progress with the girl, when she constantly refuses to speak to you. Please, promise me you will go to our Lord.'

Nordi sighed.

'I promise.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'...Send her back to Hogwarts, my Lord?'

Nordi knelt in front of his Lord.

The advice Voldemort has just given to him seemed... risky.

'Yes, Exile, what other idea do you have?' the Dark Lord asked impatiently.

'I have none, my Lord, however, sending her back to school...'

'Exile, have you made any progress within the last three months? Did the girl open up to you? Did you two have any kind of conversation? Did she seemed at list slightly willing to change her ways?' Voldemort cut him off.

'...No, my Lord.' Nordi whispered.

'You see? According to your reports, the girl refuses even to leave her own room. She is only building a thicker wall between you and herself. Let her return to school, let her continue her education. Remember about all the precautions; restrict her ability of Apparition and ask Severus to always assign a faculty member to have a constant eye of her. Besides...' Voldemort narrowed his bright, red eyes, looking at Nordi; he seemed to get an idea. '... The boy disowned by Potter, your new protégé. How is he doing?'

Nordi smiled shyly.

'He's brilliant, my Lord.' he answered sincerely.

'I can see an assingment for the boy within this situation. You will order him to guard your daughter. His assingment will be to prevent her from doing any damage. He will also make sure she is keeping away from the other Potter's spawns and the Longbottom boy and their destructive influence. He will be partially responsible for her.'

Nordi nodded slowly.

'Yes, my Lord.'

'I am sure your daughter will benefit from the company of young Anguis. After all, they are polar opposites; and yet they are similar to each other in some way.' the Dark Lord added.

'I agree, my Lord.'

'Your daughter can depart tomorrow, along with the boy.'

'Yes, my Lord.'

'You are dismissed.'

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POV: Sanctimonia Exile

Sanny tip-toed soundlessly along the Headquarters' corridor.

It was two o'clock in the night and she intended to get to the owlery. She just hoped she won't encounter anyone on the way. She watched her step closely, not to trip in the darkness.

In order to get to the owlery, she must have crossed the Entrance Hall. She silently went down theb stairs, and took a few steps towards the Hall...

Damn it! She flinched and snapped, seeing her pathetic excuse for a father standing next to the front door.

Nordi stood in his loathsome, shiny leather Death Eaters' robes; he must have just returned from one of those ridiculous Raids of his. Spotting his daughter, he looked at her in confusion.

'Sanny? Do you have trouble sleeping? I can get a vial of Dreamless Sleep, if you want...' he said.

'I... I don't have any trouble!' Sanny snarled. She had no idea how to handle this situation; probably she will have to get over the fact, that she will not send any letter tonight.

'What are you doing here in the middle of the night, then?' he asked.

'I... I was heading to the owlery.' she admitted, resigned.

Father rose his eyebrows.

'Do you have a letter to send?' he asked.

'No, I wanted to clean the birdcages up.' the girl mocked. 'Obviously I had a letter to send... Father.'

'Who did you write to?' Nordi asked.

Sanny blushed with outrage.

'None of your business. Am I not allowed to correspond with my friends, being imprisoned here?'

'Of course you are allowed. But before you send the letter, I want to see it.'

He stretched his hand out towards her.

'Obviously.' Sanctimonia rolled her eyes. 'You know what? I prefer not to send it then.'

She pulled the envelope out of her pajamas pocket and tore the letter into shreds.

'Satisfied, Father?' She snarled, turning back to head to her bedroom.

'Sanctimonia, wait. I have some news for you, and I think you will like it.' Nordi said before she left.

The girl turned her head towards him.

'Tomorrow you are going back to school.' he said simply.

Sanny popped her eyes in utter disbelief.

'D-did I just mishear, Father?!' she exclaimed, grinning.

Nordi smiled weakly.

'No. This is an order from the Dark Lord himself. However, there is a couple of conditions.' he said sternly. 'Firstly, you I will not take off your wristband which prevents you from apparating. Secondly, your Mather, along with Alecto and Amycus, are going to have a strict eye on you, and report to Headmaster Snape directly about any sign of you acting up. And finally, you are going to Hogwarts with Anguis as your guardian. He will look after you; his responsibility is to prevent you from causing any damage, and to make sure you are not hanging out with Lily Potter, James Potter and Aiden Longbottom.'

Wide smile vanished from Sanctimonia's face.

'Under such conditions, I'd rather stay here.' she muttered.

Father shrugged his shoulders.

'There is no such option. The Dark Lord's word is law.' he said simply.

Sanny clenched her teeth and rolled her eyes.

'Obviously.' she snarled and retreated to her room.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In the late morning the next day, Sanctimonia was waiting in the dining hall next to the fireplace, dressed up, with her backpack on and ready for the departure.

Much to her irritation, Albus - Anguis - joined her after a while, with a bag hanging on his shoulder. The boy rose his eyebrows at her.

'Sanny, I've told you we are not using Floo. We are apparating.' he said.

Sanny snapped at him in annoyance. She lifted her right hand and waved it in front of his face, to let him see the wristband.

'Are all Death Eaters so dumb, because never have I met anyone smart amongst your kind! I cannot apparate with this foul thing on my wrists; it restricts my abilities!'

As soon as she was uttering the last word, her Father stepped into the room.

'Ready for Apparition, kids?' he asked conversationally.

Sanny popped her eyes on him.

'I thought, that...'

'Sanny, this bracelet restricts your ability to apparate, but it doesn't unable another person to perform Side-Along Apparition with you.' the boy explained.

'Oh.' Sanctimonia muttered.

'Commander Exile told me about it, as from now on I will be the one responsible for you.' Anguis added, swelling proudly his chest.

'Sure.' the girl muttered, rolling her eyes.

Nordi came forward and took both students by their hands. Sanny felt the familiar jerk of Side-Along Apparition, and after a split second the three of them found themselves in Snape's office.

Sanny flinched. The last time she had been inside of this room, was during Mcgonagall's violent duel with the greasy-haired Headmaster.

Snape stood up from his desk after spotting them. Nordi nodded to him curtly.

The Headmaster must have been informed about Sanctimonia's comeback beforehand, because he didn't seem surprised seeing her. The girl listened with half an ear, as her Father was explaining to Snape all the conditions of Sanny's return to school, established by the Dark Lord.

'...and my protégé, Anguis, is going to keep Sanctimonia from getting into trouble again.' Father concluded, indicating the boy.

Sanny felt like she was going to throw up.

'Excellent.' Snape replied. 'Welcome back, Miss Exile. I do hope that you make up for the lost time in your studies and quickly catch up with the rest of your class.'

Sanny couldn't control her impulse to smirk at him.

' Sanctimonia.' Father said in a warning tone. 'Remember how many people are going to watch your every step from now on. Any funny business, and I immedietly come to pick you up take you from the school for good.'

'Yes, Father.' Sanny uttered through clenched teeth.

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POV: Nordi Exile

_Dear Dark Warrior,_

_You asked about our daughter, as you put it- "progress, or lack of thereof" - throughout the last weeks since she has returned to school._

_Well, I must admit that Sanny hasn't put herself into any trouble ever since. She is extraordinairly quiet, hardly talks to anyone - I assume the reason is her being separated with her "fabulous" friends, Longbottom and two Potters. _

_The boy who has been entrusted into our care- Anguis-has taken his assingment very seriously. He doesn't step aside from our daughter, walking her to the classes and to the meals, just like he was ordered to. Does Sanny like it? Of course she doesn't; she seems to feel nothing but hostility towards this boy. Nevertheless, thanks to his protection, she is kept away from destructive influence of her friends, and seems not to be looking for trouble anymore._

_Concerning her progress in classes - unfortunately, Nordi, there isn't any. She still refuses to perform any spells during Amycus' and Thorfinn's classes (spells which he knows inside out!). She doesn't cooperate during lessons, and hardly ever speaks, refusing even to answer quiz questions (which she obviously knows an answer for)._

_The only progress is, that she really has settled down if it comes to insulting teachers and talking back. Nowadays, she simply doesn't speak at all. Alecto had an impression like if someone had casted a silencio upon her before class._

_I have no idea whatsoever where all of this is heading, Dark Warrior, but I have a bad feeling about this. I am afraid that Sanctimonia is up to something, and I can only hope that we will be able to react on time._

_Yours,_

_Dark Princess/Luna Lovegood Exile_


	9. The Bravest Woman Of All Time

POV: Sanctimonia Exile

'You really don't need to follow me everywhere, you know.' Sanny hissed, walking through the corridor in a fast-pace.

'Yes, I do, Sanctimonia, because this is Dark Lord's word. And...'

'...his word is law. Yes, I have heard it a milion times already. From my stupid Father, from Bella, from you, and from other people of your kind.' the girl snarled. 'I'm lucky that you don't follow me to the bathroom, too.'

Anguis shrugged his shoulders.

'That would be unnecessary and inappropriate.' he declared.

'But if your lord told you to, you would do it.' Sanny snapped.

'Of course.' Anguis said in an unaffectionate voice. 'Sanny, where are we going now, anyway?'

_'I am_ going the hospital wing. I had such a nasty stomachache, that I cannot endure it anymore.' the girl muttered.

The boy frowned.

'Maybe some potions from Professor Slughorn's lab could help you? It's already past curfew...'

'I don't give a damn about the curfew, I must see a healer right now!' she snarled. 'I'm in pain, Anguis, some random potions won't help me!'

'Okay, calm down.' Anguis said, slightly disconcerted. 'We'll go to Madam Pomfrey. If you were in pain before, you should have told me immedietly.'

'It intensified just now.' Sanctimonia answered. 'Let's go, or that's going to blast me apart from inside.'

As they stepped inside of the infirmary, Sanny jumped forward to Madam Pomfrey.

'Please, ma'am, help me, I'm in so much paaaain...' she groaned. The elderly healer looked at her worriedly.

'What hurts you, dear girl?' she asked tenderlly.

'My stomach... oooch...'

'Easy, sweetheart. Lay down on the sickbed, I'm going to examine you in a second.'

Sanny laid down and waited anxiously for Anguis to leave. Fortunatelly, when Madam Pomfrey came back to her with a couple of potion vials, she turned towards the boy.

'Young man, I'm afraid the young lady is going to spend the night here. You can go back to your Dorm and pick her up tomorrow morning; overnight, she will be under my custody.'

The young Death Eater looked hesitantly at Sanny, but nodded and turned back, heading to the door.

Obviously the healer Witch didn't find anything what could have caused the girl's stomachache. She decided only to feed a few mild painkilling potions to her, and make her drink a mint tea. Afterwards, she wished Sanny goodnight and left the infirmary.

As soon as the elderly Witch stepped out, Sanny jumped off her bed.

Muffled giggles could be heard from underneath the neighbouring sickbeds.

'Oooooh, Madam Pomfrey, I'm in so much paaaaaaaain...!' Aiden groaned, crawling up from under the bed.

'Madam Pomfrey, I'm dying!' Lily added, giggling cheerfully.

Sanny burst into laughter as well. For a good five minutes, the three friends mimicked Sanny's dramatic performance, laughing their heads off.

As they were done joking, they sat down to talk. Sanctimonia had been missing her friends so much, that the conversation itself brought her happiness.

'So they have assigned my disgrace of a brother to follow your every step.' Lily said in an apologetic voice.

'Yes, that was a condition I had to meet if I wanted to return to Hogwarts.' Sanny admitted. 'Along with this.' she lifted her right hand to show them her right wrist. 'Anti-Aparrition Wristband.'

'That's all sucks so bad, Sanny.' Aiden said sadly. 'I still cannot get over the fact that we have failed our mission. And that my parents are in Azkaban now.'

'Not for long.' Sanny answered with a wild twinkle in her eyes.

Aiden looked up at her in confusion.

'What do you mean?'

'Aid, I had almost four months to figure out how to fix our mistake. I have a plan, and I will get your parents out of Azkaban. Tonight.' she said firmly.

Aiden and Lily stared at her in disbelief.

'T-tonight?' Aiden whispered. 'I was also planning to help them somehow, Sanny, but to rush things so much...'

'We must do it tonight.' Sanny said, emphasizing each word. 'By the tomorrow morning, I will be again under everybody's watchful eye, not to mention that tour brother, Lily, will be stick to me again like glue. Its either now, Aiden, or never.' she concluded solemly.

'What is your plan, then?' Aiden asked hesitantly.

'Very simple.' Sanny answered, pulling a piece of parchment out of her pocket and unrolling it for her friends to see.

The sketch on the page represented Azkaban prison in detail. Sanctimonia has found this image in one of her books during her home arrest.

'Azkaban is basically a pile of bare rocks.' she started. 'The fortress itself is located on the small island on the North Sea, but there is nothing special about its protections. No Blood Wards, no ordinary Wards, not even as basic precautions as a wall with a barbed wire.'

'Sanny, there is no Wards, because Azkaban is guarded by Dementors.' Aiden said.

'I know, but honestly - what kind of protection is that for the most infamous Wizarding prison in the world? I mean, obviously I was aware about the Dementors. Nevertheless I anticipated some further obstacles, such as some ridiculously complicated Blood Wards - that at least would be a challenge!'

Aiden and Lily exchanged looks. Sanctimonia continued her explanations of the plan.

'Look.' she indicated one point on the sketch. 'This is a spot where we could safely apparate. This place is used by families who visit their imprisoned relatives, and by Daily Prophet reporters who write articles about the prisoners. There are no Dementors there, and it's a good starting point.'

'Sanny' Aiden said hesitantly. 'You've mentioned the wristband, which disables your Apparition skill.'

'That's right.' the girl nodded. 'However, it only prevents me from using Apparition. It doesn't make impossible for someone else to Side-Along Apparate me. My pathetic excuse for a Father brought me to Hogwarts this way.'

'The only problem is,' Aiden said gloomily 'that neither me nor Lily are able to apparate.'

Sanny smiled.

'Easy, I have everything worked out. There is a person, who agreed to help us. You see, when I was forced not to speak to you for all this time, the same rule didn't apply for the rest of the student body. As long as Anguis didn't eavesdrop, I could hold conversations with anyone. Let's go, I'll show you our ally for tonight.'

The three eleven-year-olds casted disguising Glamours upon themselves and silently left the infirmary. Sanctimonia led the way, guiding them straight to the abandoned classroom on the second floor.

Stepping inside, she sighed with relief - the student who had promised to help her, didn't stand her up and came to the established place.

The boy was a sixth- year, tall young man with golden-blonde short hair. Seeing the younger students, he jumped off a desk and eyed them worriedly.

'Sanny, what is that supposed to mean?' he said anxiously. 'There are three of you? The maximum number of people I have ever Side-Along Apparated is two. One person must stay; decide it amongst yourselves.'

Sanctimonia looked at her friends.

'We must make a decision who will go and who will stay.' she whispered hesitantly. ' I was thinking...'

'Go with Aiden.' Lily said, looking at her two friends with understanding. 'You have already proven yourselves a successful duo.'

Sanny and Aiden looked at the ginger girl gratefully.

'Thanks, Lily.' Sanctimonia muttered.

'I'm still unsure about this idea.' the golden-haired young man said. 'Such a long distance as to Azkaban, I have only went by my own. I have never Side-Along Apparated anyone this far.'

Sanny frowned and narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance.

'You have already agreed to help us. You've promised me, and you won't opt out right now. Stop whining like a little girl and prepare for the journay.'

'I want my money first.' the older boy demanded.

Sanctimonia rolled her eyes and pulled a handful of galleons out of her pocket, handing the coins to him.

The young man greedily counted the money and hid them in his robes' pocket.

'Otto Macmillan's Father used to be imprisoned in Azkaban.' Sanny explained for the benefit of Aiden and Lily. 'His Father's name is Ernie Macmillan, member of the Order during the last War. Otto sometimes visited his Father in prison, and he knows the track of Apparition there inside out. Otto's Father has been relocated to St Mungo's a few months ago, due to a poor health condition. I approached Otto, who -as a person with a close relative formerly in Azkaban- could help us to get there.'

'However, I cannot entirely guarantee your safety throughout the journey.' the older boy warned again.

'Nobody asked you to shield us or guarantee our safety, Macmillan. We can perfectly take care of ourselves. You must only Side-Along Apparate us to Azkaban, afterwards, you can immedietly head back. We don't need your help with our assingment, nor do we need your help with returning to the castle.' Sanny said firmly.

Otto rolled his eyes and offered Sanctimonia and Aiden his hands to grab.

'I'm doing it only because you serve the Order of the Phoenix.' he said solemnly.

After Sanny took the boy's hand, she felt a strong jerk of Side-Along Apparition.

The girl anticipated landing on a hard surface, surrounded by rugged rocks. Maybe even painful crash-landing, if Otto Macmillian have lost control of himself.

However, nothing could prepare her for finding herself beneath the surface of ice-cold, rough water.

She opened her eyes with a jolt of panic running through her body. The cold, salty water got into her mouth, into her nose, into her air passages. She felt her lungs slowly filling up by the freezing liquid.

Sanny fought as hard as she could to get to the surface, paddling her arms and legs like a drowning animal. As soon as she pulled her head up above the water level, she started coughing violently, spitting out the disgusting salty liquid.

She opened her eyes, burning from salt; she found herself somewhere within the North Sea. The water surface was rough and unrest, shattered by frothy waves. A few feet further, she spotted floating heads of Aiden and Otto, both gasping for air and coughing.

The tall, triangular tower of Azkaban could be seen about thirty yards further from the three students, casting a shadow on them like a colossal giant standing upright.

'MACMILLIAN!' Sanny yelled at the older boy, as soon as they drifted closer to each other. 'WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT?!'

'I accidently got off the track!' the boy answered; Sanctimonia could hear a genuine guilt and fear in his voice. 'I carried along two people for the first time in such a long distance!'

Sanny snapped at him and swam up to Aiden, who desperately fought to keep his head above the water surface. She let the boy hold her shoulder and float along with her.

'Listen, Sanny, Longbottom!' the older boy yelled to them. 'You must let yourselves drift; the waves are going to carry us to the island in no-time! You cannot try to fight, wriggle or paddle; just relax and wait!'

The girl could indeed see, that they were coming closer to the huge tower within each passing second. They were very lucky to have the sea current on their side.

After less than a minute, Sanny and Aiden drew up, grabbing the sharp rocks at the shore. They climbed up, and found themselves down the intimidating tower.

The girl pulled her wand out immedietly and started casting drying and warming charms upon herself and the young Longbottom. The relief of having dry, warm clothes and hair back, was incredible.

The older boy, having climbed up on the tiny island, looked at the two first-years with embarrassment.

'I'm sorry.' he muttered. 'I didn't do it on purpose, I promise.'

'Don't make such a fuss about it, it's not that a big of a deal.' Sanny answered. 'You did your part of the agreement; you can head back to Hogwarts. Don't you dare say a word to anyone!' she added warningly.

As soon as Otto Macmillian disapparated, Sanctimonia narrowed her eyes after him.

'Actually, on a second thought, I should have demanded my ten galleons back.' she muttered. 'There was nothing about an ice-cold bath in our agreement.'

'Screw your ten galleons.' Aiden answer. 'Better take a look on what we are about to face.' he turned around.

They lifted their heads up, admiring the enormous, intimidating tower of Azkaban prison.

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POV: Nordi Exile

'Ughh...' Nordi grabbed his left forearm. His Dark Mark was pulsating and burning painfully.

Bella, who was sitting next to him, automatically rolled her left sleeve up, to check whether she also is being summoned. However, her Mark was motionless and blurry.

'Who?' Bella asked.

'Not our Lord, and not Colonel Malfoy. Nobody from the Headquarters. This is a call from afar.' Nordi answered, eyeing his wriggling Mark in confusion.

'This must be a call from Hogwarts.' Bella said. 'I'm guessing, from Severus.'

'It seems like it. Perhaps daughter dearest causes a mayhem again?'

'Don't jinx it, Nordi-boy.' Bella hissed. 'She has been calm for so long!'

'I hope I'll be right back, Bella.' he smiled weakly to the female Death Eater and disapparated.

Appearing inside of the Snape's office, Nordi didn't anticipate to see such a lot of people.

Anguis sat the couch, trembling all over his body. Tears could be seen within his bright, emerald eyes.

Amycus Carrow stood next to him, holding tightly by the neck another student- a golden-haired boy Nordi didn't recognize by name. The boy's robes and hair were soaking wet, and he had white traces of salt all over his face and hands. He wriggled under Amycus' hand, trying to release himself, and shot everybody in the room scared looks.

'Exile.' Snape started without any introductions. 'Your daughter is gone.'

Nordi felt an ice-cold cramp in his stomach.

'Earlier this evening Sanctimonia felt unwell and complained about stomachache.' Snape started explaining. ' A few minutes past the curfew, your protégé here accompanied her to the hospital wing. He was told by the nurse, that he could head back to the Dorms, because Sanctimonia must stay for the night in the infirmary. Anguis walked away, but a after some time he decided to head back to the hospital wing and check on here.'

'She was gone.' Anguis whispered. 'Madam Pomfrey swears she saw her lying down on the sickbed in pain, and left her to rest. I h-have failed, Commander Exile.'

'N-no, Anguis, you haven't failed, you've done everything...' Nordi said weakly.

'Exactly, boy, don't be ridiculous. You cannot blame yourself.' Snape added and turned his head towards Nordi. 'Anguis reacted immedietly. He came flying to me, and told me about your daughter's dissapearance. After we checked the Dorms, it turned out that beds of Aiden Longbottom and Lily Potter were empty as well. Not so long afterwards, Professor Carrow here caught a suspicious student, wandering around the corridors after the curfew, in soaking wet robes.'

'I've already told you everything!' the golden-haired boy yelled, shooting Snape a hateful look. 'I have nothing more to add. Sanny paid me ten galleons to Side-Along Apparate her and Longbottom to Azkaban. With both of them, the burden turned out to be too heavy, and I went off track a couple of yards. We ended up in the sea, that's all.'

Nordi's felt his blood running ice-cold. He looked at the young man in disbelief.

'Do you... try to tell me, that my daughter and Longbottom have drowned in the sea...?' he whispered.

'Yeah, like I would have left them to drown.' the boy mocked, rolling his eyes. 'We all made it to the shore, to the tiny island where Azkaban stands. Sanny then told me that I've played my part and I may go, because she and Longbottom had some stuff to do there.'

'Staff to do?!' Nordi hissed, narrowing his eyes. 'What staff to do could they have in Azkaban?!'

'I dunno!' the boy snarled. 'I didn't inquire; it was just a job to earn a handful of galleons! I assumed Sanny had somebody to visit in the prison, judging by the fact how desperate she was to get there!'

'THIS PLACE IS DEADLY!' Nordi yelled, starting to see red. 'SHE IS MOST LIKELY TO NEVER MAKE HER WAY BACK! HOW COULD YOU HAVE TAKEN HER THERE?!'

'I know what that place is!' the boy answered. 'I didn't assume I had to explain to Sanny what danger does she put herself into! I believe it was your job to do, Mr Death Eater!'

'Azkaban...' Nordi muttered, lowering his gaze. 'What were you even thinking, Sanctimonia...?'

'Exile.' Snape said. 'Put yourself together. If we want to save your daughter, we must act quickly.'

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POV: Sanctimonia Exile

Nothing in the world could have prepared her for this.

Running along narrow, bare stone corridors of Azkaban reminded her of being locked up within a horrific nightmare.

There were neither stairs nor staircases inside the gigantic tower. The claustrophobic, tangled corridor was gradually ascending, leading to the top. Sets of prisoners cells were located on the each side of the corridor, and nightmarish sounds could have been heard from each one of them. Cries, screams, sobs, raves and pleads for mercy tore Sanny's brain apart.

The worst thing was the overwhelming coldness. Outside of the tower, there was already late spring, and a fairly pleasant temperature, inside of it - freezing cold turned the girl's fingers purple, caused her to breathe out steam.

She ran, ran, ran, as fast as she could, desperate to escape from the frost and haunting voices. At first, she held Aiden's hand not to get separated with him. As her fingers were getting progressively more and more frostbitten, she was forced to let go of Aiden's hand. The boy, very pale and terrified, barely followed her through the corridors.

Those sounds. Those cries of despair. It was too much for the girl to handle. She desperately covered her ears with her useless, stiff hands, but it didn't help at all.

Against her own will, all she could think about during her wild run, was Godmother Bellatrix.

A person, who Sanctimonia never liked and never respected. Sanny labeled her Godmother as an annoying, mentally instable and one-track minded Death Eater. Practically, a female version of Father- not surprisingly those two have always clung to each other like glue.

Bellatrix had an fanatical twinkle in her dark eyes, which always freaked Sanny out. She had an insane laughter, which the girl have always despised. Her passionate, over-the-top War stories, which she used to tell to the kids from the Manor for goodnight, were highly enjoyed by Delphi and Scorpious. Never by Sanctimonia.

However, now...

Now, running along the freezing and horrifying corridor, Sanny could think only about her, and those thirteen years she used to spend in this place.

Sanctimonia has been there for twenty minutes, and her body and mind were already broken. Broken by overwhelming coldness and omnipresent despair. How incredibly strong of a person Bellatrix had to be, to endure thirteen years without breaking...?

Sanny remembered Father's lectures: "Sanctimonia Bellatrix Exile, you have received your middle name in honor of a bravest woman I ever knew. Your Godmother Bellatrix has chosen to endure thirteen years of the constant torments in Azkaban, rather than renounce our Lord. What is more, all those horrible years weren't enough to break her. Weren't enough to sway her loyalties. She is rightfully called a Most Loyal and Most Faithful. I want you to always remember this.'

Sanny always listened with half an ear, shrugging her shoulders. Only now, Father's words sank in.

Climbing the ascending , narrow corridor, Sanny could clearly picture in her head an image from thirty years before:

A young, curly-haired woman in dirty prison rags, cowering on the cold, stone floor. Her face is sunken and her skin is grey, her malnourished body is severely weakened, but it's her eyes that draw attention: those are eyes of a person who refused to yield, refused to break apart. Eyes with fanatic flames inside.

Suddenly, Sanny withdrew from her imagination, hearing the voices around going silent. The temperature around seemed to have lowered even more. If not for her body being warmed-up after a run, she would have probably frozen on the spot.

'Sanny, they are encircling us! There is no escape!' Aiden's voice. Full of despair.

Sanny stopped and looked around; the boy was cowering by the wall, and all over around him, there were... they.

Sanny could have heard stories about Dementors before, she could have read books about them and studied them during classes. However, all those information was now completely useless. A real-life encounter with one of those beasts was nothing comparable.

Two gigantic silhouettes in black cloaks approached her; the only parts of their bodies to be seen were stick-thin, long white fingers with crooked fingernails. Sanny could hear her heart pounding; she took a few steps back. It only caused one of the Dementors to jump forward to her. The beast's disgusting fingers squeezed on her shoulders. The feeling of depression and despair made her unable to even fight back, she surrendered to the nasty creature...

The dementor pulled its hood away, revealing empty eye sockets. The world around Sanctimonia disappeared, being replaced by clear images from inside of her head.

_She saw her Father's bright, silver eyes upon her. The only emotion in those eyes was a boundless disappointment._

_They were sitting in Mother's office._

_Sanctimonia burned down the cake her Father had brought for her. She insulted him in the nastiest way it was possible. She insulted Carrow siblings, calling them "inbreds"..._

_There was no anger in his eyes in the moment he slapped her in her face. There was only dissapointment._

_The background chaged, she stood in the Room of Requirement, turned into debris._

_'I'm taking you home.'_

_This grief in his voice. The little muscle spasms left by Cruciatus Curse, jolting through his body._

_She sat in the Order of the Phoenix' hideout._

_'Yes, I'm talking about Albus, but he is not my son anymore. I have disowned him months ago.' Harry Potter said in a conversational tone, like if it was nothing._

_Sanny felt sick._

_Her Father didn't disown her, like he probably should have. After everything what she had done, he still considered her a beloved daughter._

_Then, she saw Godmother Bellatrix again, younger and dressed in striped prison rags .Her sunken face, starved body, and those eyes of hers... Sanctimonia had an impression, that those fanatical eyes were looking directly at her, with a silent question inside._

'EXPECTO PATRONUM!'

Sanny saw a bright, silver light flying in her direction. The light seemed to radiate warmth and happiness. The disgusting creature let go of her shoulders and stepped back. The girl collapsed on the floor with no strength.

Lying on the cold ground, she watched in shock, as the silver stream of light formed itself into a shape of an animal. It was most similar to a doe; and it seemed to be repelling dementors and chasing them away. The foul creatures disappeared one by one. Sanny was left on the floor, trembling and sweating like in a severe fever.

'EXILE, DON'T STAND THERE LIKE A STATUE! HELP THE CHILDREN!'

This voice. It was definitely Headmaster Snape. What was he doing here...?

After a split second, she saw Father's bright eyes upon herself. This time, fear and concern were the only emotions inside them.

'Sanny, it's okay, it's over...' he said softly and started muttering some incantations. One of those was definitely a Warming Charm, which she was the most grateful for.

After a while, Father's bright silver eyes were joined by Snape's dark narrow eyes. The Headmaster started talking to Father, but Sanctimonia couldn't hear anything - she was slowly plunging into unconsciousness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Nordi-boy, she's waking up!'

'I'll be right there!'

Sanny's vision was blurry. Her head was pulsating with a dull pain.

'Sanny! How do you feel?'

It was Father. Sanctimonia wasn't feeling good. She was still internally trembling from the experiences in Azkaban.

Her vision slowly adapted to the light. As soon as she saw Father's and Godmother's faces, she felt tears inside them. Tears were impossible to withhold, and made their way down through Sanny's cheeks.

'Sanctimonia! Are you in pain?' Father asked worriedly.

'N-no.' she stuttered. 'G-godmother Bellatrix...'

'Yes, Sanny?'

She looked up at Bella's concerned face.

'I..I s-saw... you. T-there.'

Bellatrix and Nordi exchanged confused looks.

'T-they have b-broken me. I h-had no will to fight.' she whispered. 'I f-felt like... I'd never be h-happy again, and t-that it's p-pointless to resist them.'

'You had a close encounter with a Dementor.' Nordi explained. 'It's okay, Sanny, it's already in the past...'

'No!' she exclaimed. Both grown-ups looked at the girl, surprised.

'Y-you, Godmother,' she stuttered. 'You spent thirteen years there. They couldn't break you.'

Fanatical twinkles appeared in Bella's eyes. The girl had seen those twinkles a countless times already. However, that was the first time in Sanny's life, when she didn't see those twinkles as something freaky and annoying. This time, fanaticism in Bellatrix eyes appeared as something respectable and unique. A symbol of her inner strength.

'Nothing could.' Bellatrix said silently.

Nordi looked at his daughter with understand.

'Sanny, did you see your Godmother Bellatrix during your visions, when the Dementor approached you?'

'Yes.' the girl answered and turned her head towards him. 'I saw...you, as well, Father.'

The man's eyes widened.

'Did you?'

'I-I saw everything what I have b-been doing to you.' she whispered and lowered her eyes. 'All the terrible things.'

Sanny saw the grown-ups exchanging looks again.

'And despite of all those terrible things, you didn't decide to disown me, like Potter disowned Anguis.' she added.

'Sanny...' Nordi said tenderly.

'Sanctimonia.'

Father stared at her, clearly stunned.

'Sanctimonia Bellatrix Exile.' the girl uttered slowly and solemnly. 'I am proud of my name.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

POV: Nordi Exile

'Oi, that was not the last assignment! You still have some homework left.'

'Gimmie a break! I spent the last three weeks buried in books.'

'Well, you should have been keeping up-to-date with your homework, like everybody.'

Nordi smiled, passing by the dining hall, where four young students were sitting at the long table, surrounded by piles of books, parchment sheets and quills.

The summer holidays have already started, but Anguis, Scorpious and Delphini agreed to help Sanctimonia in catching up with her schoolwork. The majority of the two terms of neglecting homework and studying, left the girl with huge loopholes; fortunately, the teachers were understanding enough to let her fix her mistakes.

Nordi and Luna accompanied their daughter to Alecto's and Amycus' staff rooms, and watched her apologizing to them for all of the insults and talking back. Sanny seemed to be seriously embarrassed by her earlier behavior, and the Carrows accepted her repentance.

Sanctimonia, out of her own impulse, decided to apologize to each of the teachers she has offended or mimicked during the year. She made up with most of them. In order to be promoted to the second year, she had to fix her appalling grades in each of the classes, and submit all of the overdue homework assignments.

Nordi grinned, Sanny was very lucky to be extraordinarily skilled, and to have a help from the two top Hogwarts students. She managed to catch up with her school work in merely a couple of weeks.

'Aright, only one Muggleborn Studies essay left.' Sanctimonia said. 'I'll make a file out of all those assignments, and I'll submit it tomorrow to Professor Carrow.'

'It's nice that you are calling her Professor Carrow, not this... word you have been using before.'

Delphi said, turning her bright crimson eyes towards Sanny.

Sanctimonia blushed.

'I'll never use this word again. I've already apologized for that!'

Anguis lifted his hand in a calming gesture.

'Nobody is attacking you, Sanctimonia. We're all just... surprised- positively- about how you've changed.'

Sanny's face turned even darker red.

'Anguis, you don't have to fuss over me, alright...? We must be relaxed around each other, after all- we are siblings now.'

Scorpious smiled.

'Practically, all four of us are like siblings. We live together in the Headquarters after all. Sanny, I have always enjoyed hanging out with you as a kid. Honestly, I've missed it over the last couple of years.'

'Now, we can be siblings again. Right, Sanny?' Delphini asked.

'By the Dark Lord, guys, stop being so melodramatic.' Sanctimonia muttered. 'You're embarrassing me!'

'Do you hear what I hear?' Scorpious looked amused at Delphi. 'I have never heard Sanny using this phrase!'

Nordi's grin was getting wider and wider.

'Oh, it's Father's favorite saying... Don't laugh at me!'

Sanctimonia's face was already as red as Delphi's eyes.

'We are laughing, because we are happy for you, Sanny! ' Anguis answered.

'Sanny, what actually happened with your former friend, the young Longbottom?' Delphi decided to change the topic, seeing Sanny's progressive embarrassment.

'Both of his parents are in Azkaban, so he was placed in the Exiles' Orphanage. The one my father used to grow up in.' Sanctimonia explained. 'I think the same goes for Lily and James, Anguis.' she added.

'It will do good for all of them.' Scorpious declared.

Sanny shrugged her shoulders.

'Well, they definitely won't be mistreated. I have met Caregiver Orion and he's pretty cool.'

'Sanny, maybe we go play Quidditch when you're done with your essay?' Scorpious asked.

'Actually, I don't enjoy this game. Father and Mother hate it.' Sanctimonia muttered.

'Same with me.' Delphi added.

'Girls.' Scorpious rolled his eyes. 'Good that Anguis is going to play with me.' he looked at his friend with a hope.

'My Father used to be a seeker and Mother was a chaser, but it was James who inherited their skills. I suck.' he admitted.

'What's wrong with all of you, people?' Scorpious frowned. 'My Father used to play in his schooldays and I will also try to get into team when the term starts.'

'I know that you're pretty good, you will certainly make it into the team.' Anguis declared.

'Thanks, mate. What do you guys want to do this afternoon, then?' Scorpious asked.

Sanctimonia blushed again.

'I hope that you guys will forgive me, but... if you wanna hang out this afternoon, please go without me. I intended to spend some time with my Parents and Godmother.'

Nordi gasped. He could feel his kneed going soft. His daughter decided to spend time with him, Luna and Bella instead of her peers. He appreciated it even more, knowing, that Sanny actually wanted to make up for the lost time, when she used to avoid her family.

'It's cool, Sanny. Perfectly understandable.' Scorpious said.

'It's also cool that you've developed such a good relation with them.' Anguis added.

'You know... I've wasted a ridiculous amount of time on hating them.' Sanctimonia confessed. 'Now, it's nothing I wouldn't do, to make them proud and happy.'

Nordi, feeling tears in his eyes, soundlessly retreated from the place he's been eavesdropping, and headed through the entrance hall to the front door.

Malfoy Manor's estate was bathed in summer sunlight. The Death Eater walked along the courtyard, allowing tears from his eyes to fall down his cheeks.

If only Sanctimonia knew, how much was he proud and happy already.


End file.
